


Your Body's Poetry

by DoctorMegalomania



Category: Gundam Wing
Genre: Developing Relationship, F/F, F/M, Implied/Referenced Domestic Violence, M/M, Past Relationship(s), Post-Break Up, Slice of Life, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-29
Updated: 2020-09-16
Packaged: 2020-09-29 16:16:28
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 24
Words: 101,031
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20438891
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DoctorMegalomania/pseuds/DoctorMegalomania
Summary: Long after the wars, long after peace is established the Gundam Pilots discover one immovable fact: Relationships are hard work.





	1. Where does love go to die?

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: hahahahahahaha… I’m so old. You know the score.  
Notes: Relationships are hard work.  
Song: Pink – But we lost it

_There's a stranger, he's lying in my bed_

_Kinda blank like the thoughts living in my head_

_This is the one that I felt that I knew so well_

_I think we had it but we lost it_

* * *

**Your Body’s Poetry**

**By Dr Megalomania**

* * *

_Still the girl that you chased all around the world_

_I haven't changed, just replaced all the chains with pearls_

_I want the same things we did back then_

_I know we had it but we lost it_

* * *

**Prologue: Where does love go to die? **

* * *

Heero remembered where it happened. He was lying in bed with Relena, reading his eBook. He was sure it was a Sunday. She was drinking her tea, her phone in one hand. He was just about to turn the page when he heard the quiet sigh. He looked at her, and she was looking at him. Her small smile was at odds with her sad eyes. Heero put aside his eBook immediately and turned to her. “What's wrong?” 

“Nothing.” Relena put her phone down on the bed and put her tea to one side. “No. That’s not true.” She closed her eyes for a long moment, “You are a perfect boyfriend. Just like you were a perfect knight in shining armour, just like you were a perfect soldier.” 

Confused, he tilted his head.

She shifted to her knees fluidly, and put her hand on his shoulder. “I love you, and I know you love me.” She nodded, “But can we be honest?”

“Always.”

“I think I love you like I love the idea of peace. I would do anything for you, and I know you'd drop everything if I asked you.” She took a deep breath, “But I don't want to be in this relationship.” 

Heero thought for a long moment, looking at their bed before glancing at her in confusion. “What am I doing wrong?”

She gave a quiet, helpless laugh. “Nothing. You are always perfectly what I need.” Relena pursed her lips together thoughtfully. “Don't you ever wonder if we would be together if you hadn't saved the world and I hadn't been queen of the world?”

Relena smiled as she caught the thought occur to him. 

“You love me, I don't doubt it.” She reached a hand forward and touched his cheek. “I love you as well but... can we both walk out of this relationship for a while? I ...” She pulled her hand back and looked down, “I kinda want to find out what it would have been like if I ...” She frowned as if she wasn't sure what to say. 

Heero nodded, sitting forward. “Go on.”

“If I had had a choice.” She looked at him searchingly, “I did choose you, but don't you sometimes feel like we were always going to end up together?”

Heero gathered her hand and pulled it against his chest. “I don't know. I've always been taught to follow my emotions. It led me to you.”

Relena's blue eyes were dry despite the sadness he could see. “I'm sorry. I...” She sighed, “Never mind.”

“Relena.” Heero squeezed her hand gently. “What does your emotions tell you?”

She looked at him, looked at her hand against his chest. She looked around their perfect bedroom. A smile surfaced on her face and she looked at him directly, “You are a great person, I'm a good person—“

“You are great.”

She laughed shyly. “I'm a great person too. And I look at the way that Dorothy dotes on her wife, and I wonder if that I could ever dote on someone like that. You always take very good care of me, but could you want me, could I want you like Dorothy loves her wife?” 

“If you want me to be—“

“That's the problem. Right there. You would. You would change yourself to suit my desire. I don't want you to change for me.” Relena shook her head, “And I still love you, but it's not enough to make me want to force this change on you...” She nodded, “Or myself. I don't want to change for you.” She pulled her hand away from him and pressed it against her chest, “I know that I feel like this isn't enough and I want to find someone who...” Relena's shoulders dropped in defeat as she spoke hesitantly, “Wants to love me because it's more than the right thing to do.” 

Heero held out his hands to hold hers, he stroked his thumbs thoughtfully over her skin and was grateful that she didn't try to say anything. He nodded finally, “I understand.” 

“You do?” 

Heero smiled lopsidedly, “If I understood most of what I've read about being a good lover, I should imagine the thought of you leaving me should at least provoke some kind of emotional response beyond 'how do I make it easier on her?'.” He laughed with her, opening his arms and hugging her. He felt her press her face against his neck and tightened his grip. “Thank you for being honest with me.”

“Thank you for making my first breakup easier than I thought it was going to be.” Relena pulled back enough to look him in the eye, “I hope that we can still be friends.” 

“Why wouldn't we be friends?”

Relena laughed brightly at Heero's sincere confusion.

* * *

Sally was sat in her car waiting for him. She winced as she watched Wufei’s girlfriend take off the ring he’d bought her last year. She watched as Wufei’s girlfriend got up from the table, walking away with little more than a backward glance. She sighed as Wufei picked up the ring she’d left behind, and walked over to the car slowly. He got in and she looked at him with concern. “Are you okay?”

Wufei couldn’t look at her. He stared at the ring he was turning in his fingers before admitting quietly. “She thinks I’m boring.” 

Sally let go of the breath she was holding, reached over and patted his clenched hand. “I’m sorry.” Even though she’d known why Wufei was meeting his girlfriend here, even though Wufei had been prepared for this, it still made her hurt for her friend. He looked so small and young as he turned the ring in his hands over and over. She looked at his face, watching as a tremble passed over his lips. 

It looked for a moment like Wufei was going to cry so she patted his hand again. 

“You are boring,” Sally reassured him gently, “But that’s not a bad thing.” 

He stopped turning the ring over and slipped it into a pocket. Wufei smiled even as a tear squeezed past his defences. “You’re supposed to be caring.”

“I am caring.” Sally said, affronted. “If she can’t see past the starchy, regulation obsessed, 9pm bed time every night, Preventer on the streets,” Sally nodded matter-of-factly, “Then she doesn’t deserve the Gundam in the sheets.” 

Her blunt statement made Wufei laugh even through his weeping. He looked at her, dark eyes swimming. “Can you just drive please?”

“You got it,” She started the car and indicated to pull out. “You want me to call anyone?” 

“No.” Wufei raised a hand and wiped at his face. He shifted his glasses back into place. “Quatre and Trowa will just insist on coming down, and Duo’s got enough trouble with the scrap yard and…” He swallowed and looked out the window, “Who knows where Heero is now…” He swallowed, “I can handle this.” He looked at her, “If you’re okay helping me…” He swallowed thickly, “She’s um… she’s going away for a week, I need to uh… I need to move out.”

“You can stay with me for a bit.” Sally immediately offered, raising a hand when she could see him shaking his head out of the corner of her eye, “Shut up. Don’t be ridiculous. You can stay with me! It’ll be okay.” She snorted, “It’ll be just like after the war…!”

“I’m a legally recognised adult now, not your ward.” Wufei chuckled with her, “I know it will be okay. You’re… You’re a great friend. Thanks for being here.” Wufei stared out of the window, watching the street as it passed. His voice was so low that Sally almost had to strain to hear him, “She wishes I could be more spontaneous… but she didn’t want to be stuck in a relationship with someone so… dull.” 

Sally frowned, a brief ripple of anger surfacing before she swallowed it. He didn’t need fury yet. She pulled a smirk on her face, “You’re a safe guy—“

“Still dull.” He retorted quietly, deeply hurt. 

“Well, yeah.” Sally chuckled lopsidedly, “But you’re going to be the right fit for someone, just gotta find someone who lights a fire in you.” She reached out to mess up his neat hair, earning the expected growl. “Someone who deserves the Gundam in the sheets.” 

“Sal, will you—look, cut it out!” He shook off her hand sharply, making her laugh. “You!” He folded his arms and slouched in the front seat, “Gundam in the sheets,” Wufei muttered, “Don’t be ridiculous.” He turned his head to look out the window, trying not to watch the tears tracking down his cheeks. “Light a fire? Huh.”

Sally left him for a while. She knew him well enough that it was time to back off and let him stew for a few minutes. By the time they pulled up in front of his home, they’d made quiet plans for how to move him out. Planning always seemed to put a bit of colour into Wufei’s cheeks. He pulled himself together, and got out of her car. He watched her drive away, and then slowly walked into the home he used to share with a girlfriend he thought he was going to marry one day. 

Wufei closed the front door, and slid down until he collapsed on the floor. The tears just came, and he sobbed. All around him a life - that could have been if only he wasn’t so boring - seemed like a pantomime. His breath came raggedly, and each breath didn’t make it easier. He cried and cried, his heart broken. Wufei had been so sure that this one would work out. It hurt so much that she didn’t even want to stay friends. 

Wufei pulled out his phone and stared at the screen. He gave some serious thought to calling someone, anyone of his friends. The sight of his girlfriend on his lock screen was enough to steel him. He sat up straighter and crossed his legs. The tears weren’t going to stop, but he could feel his resolve strengthening. He knew he had to change somehow. Dragging his sleeve over his face roughly, he opened his phone and emailed General Une, requesting a transfer to L1. 

It was time to leave. 

* * *

When he heard the door slam, Trowa looked up from his computer. Listening carefully, he heard low voices going back in forth angrily. He couldn't quite make out what was being said, but he heard could make out Iria's voice rising in apparent rage. Rolling his eyes, Trowa returned to work. Another Winner argument that Quatre had brought home with him. He'd leave them to it. Past experience had taught Trowa bitter lessons about trying to get involved with the Winners. Aside from Iria and Irina and possible Isabelle - though that was debatable - Trowa was not liked by the Winner clan. Many of Quatre's sisters didn't understand why Quatre might continue a relationship with an ex-soldier - never mind that Quatre himself was an ex-soldier. 

Trowa paused and rolled his eyes at himself for allowing his attention to wander. He settled down and returned to his work. The new schematics Hilde had sent were complicated but not impossible. She'd employed him for a consult, and he fully intended to get them out of the way before the weekend. There'd be no chance to focus during the Winner Family Gathering. At the last gathering, a month ago, Marianna had gone out of her way to spend quality time with him. Mostly taking the chance to ply Trowa with baseless rumours that were purely designed to break their relationship up. Irina had saved him from it in the end by way of blazing row. It had not assured Trowa's place in the family at all. 

Somewhere in the home, a door slammed and Iria's voice rose in complete frustration. "YOU THINK THAT EXCUSES YOUR BEHAVIOUR?!" 

Trowa glanced up from the schematics. Iria was normally always on Quatre's side. It was rare for her to lose her temper with him. They were arguing too far away from Trowa's study for him to make out Quatre's response. Rising smoothly from his desk, Trowa took a moment to save his work and then wandered out to the hallway. Iria suddenly sounded much clearer as she slammed open a door. "PERHAPS YOU SHOULD LET TROWA DECIDE! HOW DARE YOU! I'M BEYOND DISGUSTED, YOU..."

She appeared at the bottom of the stairs just as Trowa began descending. She stared at him, red faced and wild eyed. She'd been crying, hard. 

There was a tense moment. 

Quatre stopped short just behind her, hand outstretched to stop her. Trowa tilted his head. Quatre was surprised to see him, but his eyes betrayed an unpleasant emotion. He was disappointed. 

Iria swallowed hard and took two steps towards him, before she internally crumbled. She reached out a hand, looking unusually delicate as she lowered herself to sit on the stairs facing away from him. She covered her face with her hands and couldn't help a sob escaping. Trowa started towards her, when she snapped her head up and glared at Quatre. “Here. Now. Right now! Or I'll...” She sobbed again, she jabbed the air with a finger. "I'll... you... you stupid boy. You stupid, stupid boy!"

Quatre looked at her, sadly but seemingly unmoved. His expression hardened for a moment, and he took a step up toward Trowa. He rested a hand on the railing and stared at Trowa, blue eyes wide and searching. 

Trowa stared back, understanding sinking in. It was horrible. The malicious glee in Marianna's face suddenly making a lot of sense. After all, what is better than a baseless rumour ...? 

Trowa looked down, disappointed that he'd have to be the one to speak. "The affair with your accountancy aide? Beckett was it? Marianna wasn't lying then."

Iria's gasp told him all he needed to know and by the time he looked up, he saw Quatre's face hardened into something expressionless. Trowa nodded. “Marianna really does hate me.” Trowa breathed out slowly, trying to keep his head together. He looked at Iria, “Can I stay with you tonight? I... I need to get out of here.” 

“Of course.” Iria's voice was hushed. “Ah-as long as you... need.” 

Trowa nodded. He glanced at Quatre again, “Well?”

“What?” Quatre looked a little confused. “I didn't say anything.”

“No, which is strange, since you're the statesman. You're the ... politician.” Trowa reigned in his fury. “What's your... excuse?”

Quatre blinked, shoulders dropping. His voice was low, ashamed. “I don't have one.”

They stared at each other for a long time. Trowa was ashamed but he was the first to break, he turned away from Quatre. 

“He loves me.” 

Trowa paused. 

“He loves me and he's not afraid to show me.”

Trowa turned to look at Quatre, who at least had the decency to look embarrassed. For a long moment, Trowa stared at him. Trying to sort out all the clambering thoughts in his head. Finally, he simply dropped his shoulders in disappointment, all the tension leaving his body. “I left my family, my circus and my home and came here to live with you, doing a job that I don't love, living amongst people who rate me below the help.” 

“That's not fair!” Quatre protested half-heartedly. “You didn't need to—“

“Then…What does love look like to you?”

When Quatre didn't answer, Trowa turned his attention to Iria. “I will need to stay with you until I can book a flight home.” He turned and walked back to his study. 

Iria stood and ran up the stairs, “Trowa! Trowa, wait!”

* * *

_They say everything is temporary_

_Who the hell are they anyways?_

_I wanna know where does love go to die?_

_Is it some sad empty castle in the skies?_

_Did we just shoot too high and spoil like wine?_


	2. Do you have the time to listen to me whine?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Three years later, the pilots are settled into their new lives.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: hahahahahahaha… I’m so old. You know the score. 
> 
> Song: Bastille - Basket Case

_Do you have the time to listen to me whine?_

_About nothing and everything all at once_

_I am one of those_

_Melodramatic fools_

_Neurotic to the bone_

_No doubt about it_

* * *

**Your Body’s Poetry**

**By Dr Megalomania**

* * *

_Sometimes I give myself the creeps_

_Sometimes my mind plays tricks on me_

_It all keeps adding up_

_I think I'm cracking up_

* * *

**Chapter 1: Do you have the time to listen to me whine?**

* * *

Trowa scanned the arrivals hall, Quatre had insisted on meeting him at the spaceport. He shouldered his rucksack and moved through the crowds, still looking around the room. He caught a sign held high - 03HVYAMS - smirked and shook his head. He started towards the sign, noticing that Quatre hadn't spotted him yet and was craning his neck, a look of mild concern on his face. Trowa raised a hand to wave, and the motion caught Quatre's attention. Quatre dropped the sign next to his bag and moved forward.

Trowa dropped his bags and opened his arms to accept Quatre's hug. They held each other tightly for a long time. "I'm glad to see you too." Trowa muttered, nuzzling his nose into Quatre's hair. “I missed you, lover.”

Quatre loosened his grip somewhat, and leaned away enough to look up at Trowa. Bright blue eyes were warm, as Quatre swallowed - somewhat overcome - and replied, "I missed you so much." Quatre laughed a tinge of embarrassment in his voice. "I could barely concentrate during the meeting this morning."

Trowa raised a hand and brushed Quatre's fringe back. He leaned forward and pressed his forehead against Quatre's. He stood for a moment, appreciating the feeling of coming home. It had been a long month away. Pulling away, he took a moment to appreciate Quatre's eyes again before dipping in to kiss him.

They had come a long way in the three years since they'd broken up. Quatre's affair had been a betrayal. Marianna had gloried in finally driving away Trowa. Trowa had returned to his sister's side, Catherine had ensured he was safe and loved in the ensuing media flurry, making him disappear. Quatre faced it all alone. L3 media took offense that 'their' pilot had been betrayed by the 'colony destroyer' - all of Quatre's good work forgotten in the face of his affair. L4 media was indifferent which only served to heighten the indignation of L3 rags.

When the intense scrutiny became too much, Marianna balked, Iria had let Quatre face it alone, and Beckett - Quatre's accountancy aide - walked away from it all.

Quatre learnt what the difference was between love and adoration.

Trowa took the time to seriously examine what he wanted. He travelled, he worked a range of jobs, he held his sister back from flying to L4 to strangle Quatre. Catherine was spitting mad at Quatre and could not understand how Trowa seemed to be so unaffected by it. When Rashid arrived one day, Catherine frothed with rage while Trowa simply invited the tall man in.

Rashid had sat at their table, his large hands making the steaming mug seem small.

They sat in relative silence until Catherine had raged herself out. "How can you even entertain the notion?!" She'd shouted finally at Trowa when she'd realised that both men were simply waiting for her to stop. "He hasn't even bothered to come himself!"

Rashid tilted his head to answer, but Trowa had simply paused before drinking to mutter. "Quatre doesn't know he's here."

Rashid gracefully tipped his head. "I'd appreciate it if we could keep this between us for now."

Catherine made a strangled noise of amusement, scoffing. "Why in all the colonies, would we--"

"Cath." Trowa set his mug down, "I'm going to hear him out."

“He blew you up! He’s had an affair!” Catherine had threw up her hands, frustrated. "Third time will be the charm I suppose." 

Only Rashid had winced when she left, slamming a door on the way out. He nodded his thanks, "I appreciate that you have absolutely no investment in this conversation, I appreciate you taking the time to listen. Your sister is..." Trowa could see it pained the man to admit it. “Right.”

"It says something about me that I still love him." Trowa rested his chin on his hand, ignoring the hope that flared in Rashid's face. "Why isn't he here himself?"

"He doesn't think you'll forgive him." Rashid opened a hand, "I'm hoping to go back with something to give him hope."

"How is he?"

Rashid paused. "I don't wish to give you any cause to think I'm trying to sway you.” He seemed to think, mouth opening as if to speak before hesitating and thinking again. He finally settled on saying, “ He is not well."

Trowa had dipped his head, thankful for the honesty. "How bad is it?"

"Iria has not given him a choice this time. He failed to meet the weight requirement during his last physical. She has had him taken in as an inpatient."

That made Trowa draw a sharp breath. "He's not eating?"

"You know well how he is when stressed." Rashid had picked up his drink, pausing. "May I be frank?"

Trowa made a silent gesture.

Rashid sipped his drink and thought for a long moment. "Marianna did not appreciate the support your love gave Quatre. She believed you to be dependent on Quatre, she did not realise how much Quatre depended on you for emotional support, how much you helped to ground him. I knew we helped him somewhat, but she did not see the damage his upbringing had inflicted on him. He works for the company; he exists to serve his family..." Rashid shook his head, "But your relationship gave him a chance to live for himself."

"I'm not going to go back to him to serve his--"

"No." Rashid's voice was hard. "No. I would not ask that of you." He paused, looking away with frustration in his eyes. "You're good for him; I don't know how good he is for you. He misses you and I..." His voice had softened, “I can’t stand by and do nothing. He must make amends to you but that doesn’t mean you should sacrifice anything more.” He held up his hands and - to Trowa - it had seemed like Rashid was older. “You know we love him so I make this journey for him, but… only once. I won’t hound you, Iria has agreed with this as well. After this, nobody will try again.” Rashid leaned forward, “It will always be your choice.”

In the end, it was love that brought Trowa back to Quatre. 

They parted and Trowa dipped to grab his bags. He wrapped his free arm around Quatre’s waist and they walked over to pick up the sign and Quatre’s bag. Recognising it, Trowa frowned slightly, “You came straight from work?”

“Yes.” Quatre hummed, “I thought perhaps you hadn’t eaten, maybe we could get dinner before you go to your apartment.”

Trowa raised his hand to ruffle Quatre’s hair, taking the moment of distraction to think. “You didn’t need to wait.”

“I -- stop it!-- I wanted to.” Quatre took a moment to run a hand over his hair, smoothing the light strands. “I thought it would be nice to spend a little more time together.”

“I could stay at yours tonight.” Trowa offered, sincerely. He was a little taken aback by how much that brightened Quatre’s demeanour. 

“Really?” Quatre almost bounced, “Yes! I’d... “ He swallowed, looking away. “I’d really like that.” 

It alarmed Trowa to realise Quatre was composing himself. He stopped and reached out to stop Quatre. He tipped his head towards the nearby coffee shop. “Let’s get to the car, but before we go home - let’s talk over coffee.” 

The slow close of Quatre’s eyes let Trowa knew he was right to be concerned. Quatre swallowed and nodded. “Yes.” When he opened his eyes, he looked grateful. “Thank you.”

* * *

Heero stared into the fridge. It wasn't going to change the fact his lunch was still sitting on the counter at home. Contemplating the mystery tinned stew nobody seemed to have eaten in six months, Heero made up his mind. It was a nice day. Preventer Headquarters was only a five minute walk from the city park, and there was probably at least one other choice than the burger van that gave Wufei food poisoning there. He stepped out of the department kitchen and stretched his arms. “Good day for a walk.” 

He walked along the corridor, pausing by the office he shared with his partner. Wufei was reading a couple of reports, patiently cross referencing one against the other. He didn't even glance up as Heero came in. “Not trying the mystery stew then?”

“Not today,” Heero pulled on his coat and walked over to his desk to grab his keys and phone. He locked his computer and ran a hand through hair that was perpetually messy. “I'm going to take lunch out.” He glanced at his watch, “I'll be back in 45 minutes.” 

“Sure.” Wufei did not look up, “We're meeting Conzec at 15.40.” He did pause to glance up, “Mind bringing back a coffee for me?” 

“Not at all.” Heero checked his wallet, and then pushed in his chair. “See you later.” 

“Uh huh.”

Others might have looked on and considered Wufei's disinterested tone rude, but Heero was well used to his partner's lack of manners - after all, he couldn't claim to be better. Of the two of them, Heero definitely considered Wufei to be the better mannered of them. Certainly Wufei would have said ‘Hi’ to Agent Berkins - Heero, however, took a moment to strategically dip behind a pillar in main reception to take him out of the man’s line of sight. He moved through Preventers Plaza One. It was a massive building which contained significantly fewer staff than the colony based buildings. He wasn't used to such a huge space with so few people. The colonies were more staffed - recent years had seen an up-tick in dissident behaviour in separatists. Wufei had transferred to L1 and, by fluke of scheduling, had ended up in the same active division unit for the first time in the decade since the five Gundam Pilots had last fought together shortly after the wars. They worked well together, finding a good balance between them. When an opportunity to transfer Earth-side had come up, Wufei had jumped at it. 

With nothing to hold him in space, Heero had transferred with him. It had turned out to be a good decision. Heero slipped on his sunglasses as he exited the massive Preventers headquarters building, squinting appreciatively up at the sky briefly before crossing the road. The park was a glorious one, nestled in the middle of the city; it celebrated everything great about peace. There was an outdoor theatre, a wide beautiful lake, a calming amount of paths and benches dotted about. Heero enjoyed his occasional morning jog around this park, but had never really taken much more than a stroll about it otherwise. 

The hog dog vendor had been busy, but Heero had plenty of time to eat by the time he sat down. He picked a bench near the pond, eating while staring at nothing in particular. He just reflected on how warm the sun felt, how good the hot dog was, and entertained a vague plan of leaving work earlier than usual.

"Oh." 

Heero slowed down his chewing as he looked up at the man who'd stopped beside him. The other guy had a fresh hot dog too. Despite his almost opaque sunglasses, his look of surprise slipped into something like vague bemusement. The other guy tilted his head, removed his large over-ear headphones and waved with his free hand. “Hey. It's been a while.” 

Heero raised an eyebrow and swallowed. He looked the other guy up and down, unable to align any aspect of the man with anyone he knew. He searched his memory for a brief moment before giving up. “Do I know you?”

“Uh...” Vague bemusement slipped back into surprise. The other guy shrugged. “Um. Well. Yeah, you used to. Given it's been a while, I …” His lips pressed into a line for a moment and Heero had the distinct impression the other guy was rolling his eyes. “I guess… I shouldn’t expect you to remember.” He gestured the bench with his food. “Seat taken?”

The other guy wasn't a threat, Heero concluded. He was wearing a standard office-issue preventer’s uniform that hung off a thin but well-knit frame. He shifted over and nodded. “Go ahead.” 

The other guy sat down and munched on his hot dog. Heero stole another glance now that the sun wasn't against him. 

The other guy had a Preventers’ branded slouch hat and his hair colour – from what little hair Heero could see escaping under the hat - was brown. He had sunglasses, the preventer's issue combat style that prevented glare. It also prevented Heero from having a good sense of what colour the other guy's eyes are. 

The other guy looked a little sad as he chewed. “You really don't recognise me, huh?”

Heero shrugged, there was no point in hiding it. “I'm told my facial recognition is—“

“Pretty shit. Nah, I remember.” The other guy carried on eating his hot dog, seeming to make an effort to hide the fact that Heero didn't recognise him had made the other guy down. Feeling guilty, Heero resumed eating his own food while desperately searching his memory. 

“Did we meet at a school?” Heero ventured. “There are a ...” He snorted darkly, “A limited number of other options.” 

The other guy swallowed, thought about it and nodded. “Something like that.” He glanced about, his free hand touching his hat seemingly out of habit. It touched a memory in Heero, but not enough to spark recognition. “Though given both our histories, probably not something to get into here.” 

Heero nodded, appreciating the subtle wariness. He rolled his shoulders, staring at the lake again. “Nice day for lunch?”

“Yeah, I'm really enjoying the spring time. You?”

“Actually, yes.” Heero tilted his head up to the sky; it was such a beautiful blue. “I’ve been space side for a long time. It's nice to enjoy the actual sun.” 

“I get that... like all the time.” The other guy smiled, licking his fingers. “Been back a long time?”

“Just over a year. Been earth side for a while?”

“Yeah. Been grounded for a few years now.” He adjusted his sunglasses, “Transferred from overseas a couple of months ago, following my … a case.” 

Heero nodded, he understood that. Preventers cases could take an agent anywhere in the world. It was a trade-off they had agreed to when joining. For Heero, it had brought the chance to see the world. He wondered about the other guy. “Didn't like space?”

“Wanted to build my career here. Best opportunities are here these days, given...” The other guy gestured upward, “Can't be dealing with the troubles. Not if I wanna make something of myself that doesn’t involve a gun.” He shook his head, speaking quietly, “I'm damned tired of fighting.”

“Hmm.” Heero hummed non-committedly. He glanced at his watch and wiped his fingers off. He stood, dropping his trash into a nearby bin. He walked back to the other guy. “Are we going to do names?” 

The other guy chewed and swallowed. “Nah. I reckon, either my name's gonna come to you later, or we can have the fun of you trying to figure out who I am.” He gestured his half-eaten hot dog. “I usually pack a lunch, but I reckon I could do this same time, next week.” 

“Hn.” Heero tilted his head, and the gesture seemed to amuse the other guy. 

“Yeah,” The other guy said knowingly, “Yeah. I give you about two days before you crack, hack the Preventers’ servers and look me up, or track me down to ask me outright.” The smug tilt of his head, the smile almost pulling at his lips… it was so familiar. “You’ll be cracking by tomorrow morning.” 

It rocked Heero to hear his possible reaction described accurately. “You seem pretty sure.” 

The thought clearly brightened the other guy’s mood. “Yep.” 

Feeling a crackle of amusement, Heero surprised himself by smirking, “Same time. Next week.” 

“See ya!” The other guy stretched out his legs, and tilted his face to the sun. 

Amused by the other guy’s cock-sure expression, Heero smiled and walked off.

* * *

Quatre was looking out the window while Trowa got the drinks, but he was watching Trowa in the reflection. Uncertainty had plagued him while Trowa had been away. It had been Marianna’s visit that had sent him spiralling again. Marianna always perfectly timed her visits to avoid Trowa, she had been entirely blindsided by Trowa’s decision to return. 

Quatre hadn’t quite understood it himself... 

Visiting hours had been very strict in the hospital. Quatre wasn’t allowed to do anything that might cause him any undue stress. He had been surprised by the announcement his visitor was here. He barely remembered shuffling to the visit room, but the moment he saw Trowa, everything had fallen away and all he could do was stare. When Trowa had reached out a hand to touch him, he almost cried. Apologies tumbled from him, everything in him wanted to simply throw dignity into the wind and get down on his knees to beg for forgiveness. He could remember saying over and over, “I know what love looks like now.”

For a long moment, it seemed that Trowa was unmoved until he had simply said, “Things must change.”

Quatre had had no expectation of Trowa forgiving him, let alone resuming a relationship with him. It had almost made him fall out of his chair, he straightened when he saw the nurse look over with concern at his state. “Anything.” He promised, “I will do anything.”

Trowa had squeezed his hand then, “Get well. Then we will talk.”

Getting well was a long road. Recovering had meant being more invested in his actions. It was not surprising to him that he clung to the prospect of regaining a relationship with Trowa to haul himself out of his spiral. 

The cups on the tray clinked as Trowa set them down, and Quatre took a deep breath. He thanked Trowa quietly, took a deep sip of his tea and breathed for a moment. Nodding to himself, he looked at Trowa directly. “I was worried you might not come back.”

Trowa tilted his head questioningly, but made no other movement. 

“Marianna visited and ...” He shook his head, “I got stuck thinking you might not come back.”

“You knew I would.”

“It didn’t stop me from...” Quatre sighed, “I just got stuck on the thought.”

Trowa’s smile was kind, patient almost. “Did she say something?”

“She asked about Beckett.”

“Ah.” The smile remained but the kindness was slipping away. 

Quatre tried not to panic. “I’m not--”

Trowa’s hand was warm on his. “I trust you would tell me.”

Quatre felt like deflating. “I would.”

“Then allow Marianna her meddling, and trust me when I tell you I’m coming back.”

Raising a hand to pinch his nose, Quatre shook his head. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t apologise.” Trowa lifted his drink to his mouth; he shook his head as he swallowed. “Marianna would prefer you to marry and carry on the family name. And since she can’t get you to be straight, she’d rather have you marry a suitable L4 prospect than a...” He scoffed lightly, “Circus performer. You can understand her position.”

“I don’t want to. She can’t wish me straight.” Quatre made a brief face and drank his own tea. “How do you be so understanding of her?”

Trowa stared out the window for a long moment, his cup held up. He looked contemplative. He looked at Quatre, “I’m not going to walk away from you. I love you. Marianna is your family; I know how seriously you take your obligations.” He put his cup down gently, “My inability to work with your family contributed to your decision to cheat.” His dark green eyes were steady. “We agreed that things had to change. We both needed to make some changes. This is mine.”

Quatre swallowed reflexively. “You shouldn’t have to.”

“It’s easy to walk away.” Trowa reminded him and waited for Quatre to reply.

“It’s harder to face it. Easier to face it together.” Quatre nodded. 

Trowa smiled slightly, picking up his drink again and returning his gaze to the window. “So, what else is troubling you, love?”

“Before I got side tracked... “ Quatre smiled half-heartedly, “I was considering the possibility of you… perhaps you maybe wanting to…” He fiddled with a spoon for a moment, appreciating that Trowa waited. “I was thinking you could move back in.”

Trowa blinked, looking like the thought had never occurred to him. “Come back to the main residence? What’s wrong with the arrangement we have now?” 

Honesty. It had been the hardest change Trowa had asked of him. Quatre nodded, he’d thought carefully about this question, knowing it would come. Marianna’s visit had thrown him, but the core principle remained. “I want to feel a part of your world again; I miss the way I could wake up and know you were close by.” Quatre swallowed, “I miss going to bed with you.”

“We can have that without--”

“Not every night.” Quatre interrupted, “Not like it used to be.”

Trowa thought about that. “The way it used to be wasn’t enough.”

“I think we both know I didn’t really appreciate what we used to have.” Quatre put the spoon down. “I hope by now, we’ve both found our way forward? That perhaps we can try again.” 

There was a long moment, Trowa clearly taking his time to think about it. Quatre respected that and picked up his drink. He observed the surface of the hot liquid, trying not to let his thoughts overwhelm him. 

“We could give it a go.” Trowa said finally. “I have at least four months before I need to go back to L3.”

Quatre smiled honestly, “Thank you. How would you feel about coming over tonight?”

“Sounds like it could work. I’d still need to pass by mine to collect some things.”

“I’ll drive you.” Quatre sat back, feeling his spine unclench. He blinked in surprise and at Trowa’s questioning look, smiled helplessly. “I didn’t realise how worried I was that you’d say no.”

“We’ve been in this relationship - or some iteration of it - for almost 10 years, love.” Trowa said, concern passing over his eyes like a cloud. “Why would you be so worried?”

Quatre thought about it, “I suppose… I find it difficult to predict your reactions.” He glanced away, “When you left, I was certain you wouldn’t come back. I was wrong then.”

Trowa reached out and touched Quatre’s hand. 

Quatre turned his hand to hold Trowa’s, appreciating the gesture for what it was. A wordless expression of support and acceptance. Where Trowa had asked for his honesty, Quatre had asked for a kind of love that was easier to see. Together they shared what they actually meant. Their therapy sessions had helped them along, but it was still hard work making sure they both understood where the other was coming from. 

Quatre stroked his thumb over Trowa’s hand, taking a moment to enjoy the feel of Trowa’s hand. “I’ll call from the car, Iria was hoping to catch you. She wanted to visit tonight, but I asked her to give me some time with you first.”

“I’d love to see her, Cath appreciated the wine.” Trowa squeezed Quatre’s hand, which made Quatre finally look up. Trowa nodded, holding his gaze. “I missed waking up with you as well. Thank you for inviting me to live with you.” 

“I hope you’ll call it home.” Quatre smiled, “But I’ll understand if you want to keep your apartment.”

“You never know, maybe you want to move in with me.”

“Marianna would have a fit.” Quatre looked up for a long moment, a range of thoughts and emotions flew over his face. Trowa had to laugh at the truly evil smirk that blossomed on Quatre’s face.

“I think Marianna overestimates how much influence I have over you…” Trowa chuckled, “You’d never--”

“I could. I don’t need to be at home. I could work from the office a little more.” Quatre’s expression turned slightly serious. “I could give everyone an extra holiday if I move in with you and--”

“Rough it?” Trowa laughed out loud and set his cup down to stop himself from sloshing his drink everywhere. He wiped at an eye. “Let’s do it.” 

Quatre picked up his drink and held it out in a toast. “Let’s do it.”

Trowa chuckled as he toasted their plan.

* * *

“See you tomorrow morning,” Wufei leaned over the central console of his car. “Coffee's on me.” 

“Sure, thanks for the ride.” Heero closed the door and banged on the window once before turning to run up the stairs to his front door. The rain was in such a stark contrast to the beautiful sunshine in the afternoon before. It made everywhere look dark and slick, but still it made him smile as he turned from his open door to stare out across the street. It was so fresh. His quiet road, trees lining the street both sides of the road with a pleasing infrequency, the other homes old but lovingly maintained. His modest salary and the generous compensation from the war allowed him to live in a nice quiet area; his work had him keep odd hours that didn't make getting to know his neighbours easy. 

He leaned against the door frame, caught by the beauty of the puddle forming on the street. He looked up, the angry grey of the clouds were mesmerising. It took one solidly cold rain drop to his eyelid to finally drive him inside. Shaking his head, Heero shrugged off his coat and quietly issued the evening routine command to his home. Lights came on throughout, the living room speaker starting to read the news. He toed off his boots and slipped on his slippers. He brushed his fingers over the hallway mirror, activating its HUD. 

"Reminder," He said simply, "Contact Dawn re financial position of Colonies Apart." He took a moment to check his work email one more time, and then set his work accounts to silent mode. He took his keys and wallet out of his pocket, and placed them in the bowl below the hallway mirror. As he walked to the kitchen, he loosened his tie. He poured himself a juice, and picked up his book. The battered eBook had seen better days. He sat at the kitchen island, and brushed his fingers across the screen. He flicked back to the last page he remembered reading. The news in the living room ended and his evening playlist began playing. 

Heero read quietly for a while, feeling his body unwind. As he felt the tension from the day seep away, he briefly remembered the last cocky smile of the other guy. 

Heero looked up from his book. 

The other guy was wearing a slouch-beanie and sunglasses. His skin wasn't very pale, but clearly white enough that he'd needed to be wary of the sun. Heero reached for a nearby tablet, and opened a notes app. He tapped down his observations from the day of the other guy. When he ran out of thoughts, he got up and started cooking himself some dinner. 

As he stirred the pasta, it occurred to him that maybe Wufei would know the other guy. Heero smirked at the fleeting notion of dragging Wufei out of the office one day for lunch. Heero thought it would be less hassle to convince the other guy to let Heero take a photo of him. 

Tasting his sauce, he made a face as he realised it needed more salt. Judging by the other guy's amusement at his lack of recognition, getting a photo would be just as frustrating. 

* * *

Wufei tiredly dropped to his knees once he got in, arms spread wide for the small white cat that trotted toward him. "Hi Pumpkin." He said quietly, chuckling as the cat deigned to get into his embrace. He stood carefully and walked forward. The TV was on, and he strolled through the living room to get to the kitchen. Tatiana was making dinner, some pasta dish by the smell of it. He carefully let the cat down and moved forward to wrap his arms around her. "Hi honey." He dropped a kiss on her neck and she laughed. 

"The cat gets a kiss before I do!" She gave the pot another stir and turned around to wrap her arms around his neck. She was so graceful in her movements; he was struck by how beautiful she was even in pyjamas. She pouted at him. "Marta told me she thinks you're spoiling me." 

"I do." Wufei snorted softly, dipping his head to kiss at her collar bone. "And I love it."

"Because I'm worth it."

"Because you're worth it." He chuckled with her, moving to kiss her on the lips. 

Tatiana was so beautiful, long dark hair piled messily on her head and pale skin perfectly perfumed. Her laugh was low as he pushed her against a counter-top. She leaned back a little, "Dinner will be ready soon." 

Running his hands down her sides, Wufei smiled. "Then I suppose I can't tempt you into having dessert before dinner?" 

She pouted in an adorable way. "Wouldn't want dinner to go to waste." 

He let her out of his embrace and went over to the pot to give it a stir while he smelt the food. She was a decent cook. He heard the pop of a cork and looked up. If Tatiana had a fault, it was her drinking. Wufei rolled his eyes as she poured a generous glass of wine for herself. He rarely drank so much and almost never during a work night. It was a minor thing, and it wasn't something to get upset about. He told himself that, every time. As she drifted back to the living room, he put a wine stopper in the bottle and put it back in the rack. Maybe she'd forget and not finish this bottle. 

"So how was your day?" He called as he straightened and pulled at his tie. He walked back into the living room. 

Tatiana took a sip and gracefully shrugged a shoulder. "I'm far too good for that place. I should really find a new job." She looked at him balefully, "Or you could move into command and start earning more money, and be my sugar daddy."

Wufei snorted. "Please. That sounds horrible." 

"You love spoiling me!"

"I also love being on Active Duty." He pulled off his tie fully and pulled his shirt out of his waistband. "Also, I wouldn't have thought you'd like to lose your independence. Nobody likes being wholly dependent on someone else."

"I would love it." Tatiana gestured with her glass, "You'd be able to buy me anything you wanted for me, and I could just be beautiful. No smelly co-workers, no paperwork." She narrowed her eyes at him, "You can't tell me you don't want a beautiful stay-at-home wife!" 

He laughed, sobering slightly when he realised she was serious. "No, I'd really not want a stay-at-home wife. What would you do all day?" 

"Be beautiful, shop." She sipped her wine, "Manage your estate!"

That made Wufei laugh. "No. Besides, I would have to get pretty high up the command chain!"

"You could do it, you're famous and you have an old family name!"

He shook his head, "If I'm going to climb, I'm going to do it because I'm worthy, not because I fought in a war and had a rich family."

"Why won't you think about our kids?" She pouted, slouching down. "They should have an excellent life style!"

"Let's get the wedding done first... we've not even gotten married!" Wufei shook his head, "I'm going to change, I'll be back down in a minute."

When he got downstairs again, she had served up the dinner and was sat in front of the TV with hers. He picked up his food from the kitchen, and came to sit with her. "This is amazing, honey."

"Hmm." She replied, her attention on the TV. 

Wufei glanced at Tatiana, she seemed a little upset. "What's wrong?"

A frown appeared on her face. "Why wouldn't you want me to be your sugar baby?"

He was caught mid-chew and swallowed quickly. "I wouldn't think you'd enjoy being wholly dependent on me."

Tatiana looked at him, eyes welling. "So, what? I'm supposed to just marry you, have your babies and then keep working a job I hate?"

"Uhh..." Wufei's mind went blank. "No. You can always look for another job, one you enjoy better?"

"You're ... unbelievable." Tatiana shook her head, "You never think about anyone else, do you?"

Wufei blinked, "Tatiana?"

"No." She shook her head, and looked determinedly at the TV. "Just leave it."

Wufei sighed and focused on his food instead. Tatiana would work her way through this eventually.

* * *

_It all keeps adding up_

_I think I'm cracking up_

_Am I just paranoid?_

_A ya-ya-ya_

_Grasping to control_

_So I better hold on_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for the response so far! I hope you enjoy this chapter!


	3. But couldn't good, be good enough?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wufei wants his records back, Heero wants to make it through the weekend, Trowa wants some sleep and Quatre wants to know how they let it get so bad. So, where IS Duo?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: hahahahahahaha… I’m so old. You know the score.   
Notes: Relationships are hard work.  
Song: OK GO – White Knuckles

_You'll never get that taste out of your mouth_

_You'll never the paw prints, out of the hen house now_

_And you can't go back, same way you came_

_Round all the pieces up, but they just don't fit the same_

* * *

**Your Body’s Poetry**

**By Dr Megalomania**

* * *

_White knuckles_

_Maybe it's not so bad_

_So let your hair down now_

* * *

**Chapter 2: But couldn't good, be good enough?**

* * *

“Who is ‘The Other Guy’?”

The sheer bemusement in Wufei’s voice made Heero jolt out of his thoughts and look over his shoulder. Wufei stood beside him, coffee in hand and bemusement on his face. His narrow glasses were eerily lit up by the digital notice board Heero had been looking at. Wufei took a sip of his coffee and then gestured the board with his drink. “You've been staring at this with more scrutiny than our case. Though...” He reached forward and moved one of Heero's notes aside to reveal the piss poor drawing Heero had attempted. “You really can't draw.” Wufei snorted, “A stick figure would be better.” 

“Hn.” Heero shrugged helplessly and raised a hand to awkwardly scratch the back of his head, “I don't remember what he looks like.”

Wufei shook his head, “I'm not surprised.” He cocked an eyebrow, “Why do you think I never cut my hair?” 

Heero rolled his eyes, “I'm not that bad.” 

“You're pretty bad, Yuy.” Wufei walked away to look at a report on his own desk, “I’d like to take this opportunity to remind you when I wore my hair down once, you called--”

“I felt there was a genuine threat.”

“Uh huh.” Wufei’s voice was dry. “So, who is The Other Guy?”

“I don't know.” Heero tapped the map, “I think he's a preventer. I mean, he was wearing the business cut uniform.”

“Division?”

Heero hesitated, “… Not active.” 

“Kscht.”

Heero blinked and looked over his shoulder at Wufei's inelegant snort. Wufei was leaning against his desk, hand clapped over his mouth and coffee held away awkwardly. Wufei swallowed and made an effort to look less amused. “I would like to think you can at least recognise people in our division. So, well done there, great detective work, Yuy.”

Heero shook his head, helplessly. “I don't know.” 

“Okay, how about hair colour?”

“I don't know… brown maybe?”

“Brown … maybe?” Wufei laughed, gesturing his eyes with two fingers, “I thought you had super focus, like nothing could escape your notice?” Wufei chuckled, “I know that you found it hard to recognise people after you’d been away, but you’re supposed to be really good with remembering details…” 

“I have terrible facial recognition.” Heero folded his arms and sank down in his seat, swinging slightly. “And the other guy knew that. How could he know that?”

“You probably worked with him on your missions.” Wufei sounded vaguely disinterested, “Probably some maintenance crew or someone you met during the course of a preventer’s mission.” He snorted, “Maybe it was Berkins again.”

“He knew me better.” Heero picked up his own coffee, “Like we'd worked together for a while.” 

“Uh huh.” Wufei shook his head, picking up a report to read. “And you don't even do him the honour of remembering him.”

Heero sank into his seat, picking up a pen and vaguely doodling on the notepad in front of him. “He knew it would needle me not to know. Said he gave me about two days before I cracked.” 

“Really?” Wufei looked up from the report, “And it's been what? One day?”

“Less than 24 hours.” Heero admitted, pressing his pen down in frustration.

“Ha.” Wufei sounded amused, “He does know you. Does he know me?”

“He didn't say.” Heero glanced up, “I mean I didn't ask.” A thought struck and Heero rose to add a note to the digital notice board. “I'll ask. We're going to meet up at the same time next week.” He glanced over his shoulder, “Do you--?”

“Don't even bother to finish that sentence.” Wufei held up a hand, turning his head as if the thought made him nauseous, “I'm never eating from one of those damned carts again.” 

Disappointed, Heero rolled his eyes and muttered, “Photo it is then.”

“Huh?”

“Never mind.” Heero shook his head and walked over to Wufei's desk, “Where are the reports Conzec was sending us?” 

Wufei’s lips twisted in a familiar annoyed way. “Got diverted to Cyber Crimes, Hasigawa thinks there’s overlap with her case.” His expression darkened. “She’s already started printing so the electronics are locked to her account.” 

“You let … Hasigawa … take vital information about… our case?” Heero worked hard to keep the amusement out of his voice. The snarl building on Wufei’s face was a clear indicator he was going to lose his temper. Heero hid a smirk behind his coffee, “Would you like me to speak to her?”

“No.” Wufei stood, finishing his coffee. “I’ll just get Marta to step in. I’ll go speak to her now.” 

“Could we not try peace talks first?” Heero gave an exaggerated wince; he returned to his desk and sank down into his seat. “Krakowski isn’t exactly a… subtle solution.”

“Hasigawa should have thought about it first.” Wufei shrugged, pushing his glasses up his nose, “Besides I finally made some good will with Marta.” He pulled on his coat and picked up his keys, “Speaking of which…” Wufei paused by the door. “Are we still on for Friday?”

Something slotted into place in Heero’s mind. “Wait. Is the goodwill you’ve got banked with Krakowski the fact you’ve finally got me to agree to go to the pub with you and Tatiana on Friday?”

Wufei looked at him steadily. “Not going to lie to you, Yuy. Yes it is.” 

Heero stared at Wufei, his mouth falling open as his dark blue eyes moved side to side as he thought. He began to say something, paused and then shook his head. “We fought on the same side during the war, Chang.” 

“Yep.” Wufei nodded and leaned against the door frame.

“We’re partners now.” Heero reminded him, “How have you come to betray me like this …?”

“Marta and Tatiana have another sister.” Wufei said as if it should be obvious. “Marta would like to see Karolina to settle down with someone sensible.”

“Marta doesn’t like you because you are a Gundam pilot; she tolerates you because Sally Po told her you were the most sensible one. Why would she like me?”

“I’m the Gundam Pilot who joined an evil organisation after the war.” Wufei snorted as he pointed to himself, he pointed at Heero. “You’re the one who saved the world at the end of the war, twice. Marta thinks you’d be perfect for Karolina. Tatiana won’t let Karolina be her maid of honour until Karolina has a decent photogenic boyfriend for the wedding. Marta is blaming me because you won’t agree to meet Karolina. It’s making setting a date and a location a little bit… tense.” 

They stared at each other until Wufei snorted softly. “Just… meet her. I only promised I’d introduce you.” 

“What do you think?”

“I think…” Wufei looked at the digital notice board, “I think you probably need someone … I mean, it’s been a couple of years since Relena… maybe.” He shrugged, “We don’t hang out as much since I started dating Tatiana, but even I’ve noticed you’re not as … social as you were.” He paused for a moment and looked directly at Heero, “You … you look kind of lonely. Meeting other people might help you move past this… rut you’re stuck in.” 

“I meant what you think about Karolina.” Heero sighed and raised a hand to rub at his forehead. “But… I am. You’re right… but…” He admitted with a quiet sigh, “But… Krakowski terrifies me. Tatiana is… not my type. So… Karolina is…?”

“I think Karolina could possibly do with … meeting you.” Wufei made an awkward gesture, “Then maybe you could go with her to the wedding.” 

“Or maybe I just offer to be her plus-one to the wedding.”

“That works for me. Tatiana won’t notice.” Wufei looked up momentarily, he winced, “We just won’t tell Marta.” 

Heero sipped his coffee thoughtfully, “Are you sure it’s Tatiana you’re marrying?”

Wufei gave a helpless shrug, “Friday, yeah?”

Heero nodded slowly, “Yeah, Friday.” 

Wufei looked unnecessarily grateful, “Thank you.” 

“Go get our case files back from Hasigawa. Try not to get into yet another argument with her! I’m not sitting in on another restorative meeting!” Heero waved at him, and got back to work. He glanced - one more time - over his shoulder at his terrible drawing of the other guy, trying to recall anything more than the cocky last grin. Shaking his head, Heero turned and started sorting through the data. 

* * *

Wufei looked around the records centre, waving at a couple of the admin staff as he passed their desks on his way to Marta Krakowski. Marta was a diminutive woman, typing away at her desk as if she hated the keyboard. She glanced at him once. “What do you want?”

“I was hoping you’d help me request some reports back from Cyber Crimes. Agent Hasigawa has diverted the evidence files I was expecting from Agent Conzec in Law Enforcement and—“

She did not look up from her typing. “Have you filled in a request form?” 

Wufei briefly pursed his lips, before trying to smile charmingly. “Do I need to?”

Marta typed a final sentence and picked up a clip board, sliding a cheap pen into the holder. “Hand it in at the front desk.” 

Wufei looked at the form and sighed, “Thanks Marta.” 

“Hmmph.” Marta continued her rapid typing. “I see Tatiana enjoyed the musical you took her to. She’s been posting it all over her timeline, won’t shut up about how much you spent on dinner with her.” She paused and looked at him momentarily, her expression inscrutable. “Didn’t think you liked that sort of thing.” 

“But it made Tatiana happy.” Wufei picked up the pen and started filling it in. “It was a good suggestion, thank you.”

“Hmmph.” Marta typed a few more words, before tutting. “You shouldn’t spoil her all the time.” 

He paused as he was writing to look up in confusion, “You suggested we go.”

“Yes, but if you always spoil her, you will end up with her thinking she can do anything. You don’t like musicals and you hate Kappa’s. Why on earth didn’t you find something you’d both enjoy?” 

“She can do anything.” Wufei frowned, confused, “She’s perfectly allowed to do whatever she wants. I can make compromises…” 

“What happens when you don’t want to do it? Hmm? What happens then?” Marta frowned and hacked away at her computer for a long moment. “You just let her walk all over you all the time… She’s too immature to understand that sometimes relationships should be made of more than fun, frivolous events.” She flung an annoyed look at him, “I thought you’d be more of a controlling influence over her. You seemed so sensible!”

Wufei took a moment, pushing the tip of his tongue against a tooth to stop him from saying something he knew he’d regret. Finally, he settled on neutrally saying, “Uh huh.” 

Marta shook her head, “Your partner better be more sensible than you.” She tapped the desk in front of her, “When you’re done with the form, put it there. I’ll process your request today.” 

“Oh,” Wufei blinked in surprise, not expecting her to allow him to skip the front desk. “Thank you.”

“Just make sure that you figure out how to handle Tatiana better in future. She’s got to learn how to be your wife.” 

Wufei blinked, staring straight ahead for a long moment before replying, “Maybe I am going to marry her because I can tolerate the way she is now.”

“Hah.” Marta made a hard sound, stopped typing and looked at him. “Really?”

Wufei paused and looked up from the clipboard. “What?”

Marta seemed to glare at him for a long moment, “Are you marrying her because of the way she is, or the way she makes you feel?”

He stared at her, uncertain what the conversation was about any more. “Is there a difference?”

Marta simply shook her head, and carried on typing. “I’ve seen this before, my poor mother. I promised her I wouldn’t let anyone fall into the same trap. And here you are, making the same stupid mistakes…” 

“You have… doubts about …” Wufei looked up, trying to figure out where he was going wrong in the conversation. “My ability to be a controlling husband?”

Marta paused for a moment, looking up at him. Her glare could have torn strips off his back. “Are you done with the form?”

Wufei held the clipboard protectively towards his chest, “No?”

She waved at him impatiently, “Go finish the form, come back with the form, leave me to type.”

Wufei nodded silently, and wandered away. He took a seat in the corridor by the windows. He carried on filling in the cumbersome form, occasionally looking at his phone for more information. Around him, various Preventers walked up and down the corridor. One agent stopped in front of him. He didn’t look up even as he felt the agent lean over to peer at the clipboard. 

“Is that… a formal request for evidence?”

He paused in writing, glancing over the top of his clipboard. The other preventer’s boots were scuffed, her tights were an unconventional colour - tangerine to be exact - and there was a snarl on her face. 

“Yes, it is, Hasigawa.” He narrowed his eyes at her, looking at her imperiously over his glasses. “The evidence I was expecting this morning got diverted before I arrived today despite my expediency request.”

She rolled her eyes, “Ugh. I am literally bringing the files back to you now. I even printed it for you!” She lifted a bulky ring-binder folder and peered closer at the clipboard, “Is that… Is that Krakowski’s clipboard?” She tilted her head, “Really? The Big Fucking Guns, Chang?”

He sneered at her, “I want my files back.” 

“You got your fucking files, Chang. Douchebag.” She shoved the thick ring binder in his direction. “You’re such a ---“ Once he took the ring binder, she threw her hands in the air, her expression outraged, “How in the fuck does a stickler nerd like you got time to continue to exist in active? I thought the active division were supposed to be busy with - you know - protecting the planet from threats, not filling in pissy forms for the sake of it.”

“Says the mole person of button pushing in Cyber Crime. What’s it like being topside for once?” Wufei rolled his eyes, tucking the binder under his arm. “Is it all here?”

He took no little amusement at the flare of fury in her eyes. Hasigawa might have been unconventional, but she took extraordinary pride in her filing. Yanking the binder out of his hands, she flipped it open to the front and jabbed her finger into the contents page, all but growling at him. “It’s all here!”

Wufei frowned, confused. “Conzec did a contents page?” 

“Conzec? How… dare… you. I did a contents page!” She jabbed the page twice, “I’ve spent the morning reorganising it all, you ungrateful asshole.” 

His head snapped up, “Why would you reorganise—“

“Because Conzec can’t cross-sort or alphabetise to save his fucking life. Thank god I got it before you, because while I was sorting it, I found a credible link between my guys and the Colonies Apart faction based here on Earth that you are investigating.” She clicked her fingers and pointed at him, “Game, set, match, told you so.” 

She stared at him expectantly, getting increasingly visibly annoyed as Wufei stood there, looking at her with a carefully blank expression. He took a moment to look down at the binder, closing it slowly and tucking it back under his arm. He waited until she looked like she would say something before blinking slowly, taking a very dry tone, “Oh, thank goodness, you did your job.” He raised the clipboard, “Excuse me, I got a form to file.”

“You’re still going to file it?!”

“I want it on record you diverted the files despite my request.” 

“Honestly, of all the—Fine!”

He paused in the doorway, hiding his smirk. He turned to look at her quizzically, Hasigawa folded her arms. 

“You win.” She tossed her head away from him, making her hair bounce, “What do you want?”

“Formal apology.” Wufei held out an expectant hand, cocking an eyebrow expectantly. “Rank and file.”

Hasigawa closed her eyes and squared her shoulders. She took a breath and then opened her eyes to glare at him, “I’m so sorry, Captain Chang,” She bit out, “If my actions impeded your investigation in any way. I will certainly do everything in my power to make sure this error doesn’t occur again.”

He flicked his gaze down her quickly, “Regulation coloured tights for a week.”

Hasigawa smirked, jutting her chin out and putting her hands on her hips defiantly, “Bold of you to assume I own regulation coloured tights.”

Believing her, Wufei snorted, “All right. Next week at the Matters, you buy two rounds for me.” 

“Not this week?”

“Finally persuaded Yuy to go, I’m not going to allow any variables.” 

“Uh huh.” She rolled her eyes, “Your girlfriend is probably enough of a variable, maybe keep her away from the shots.” She glanced at her watch, “I gotta go. It hasn’t been fun, let’s not do this again.”

“Oh, have other cases to impede?” He tilted his head sympathetically, “Other agents' days to ruin with your presence?”

“Ugh.” She threw back her head, rolling her eyes dramatically. “How is it possible that you're this annoying, Chang?”

“I don't know, something about you just brings it out of me,” Wufei spread his hands wide, “Must be your demonic nature.” 

Shaking his head, Wufei laughed as she stomped away, middle finger raised. 

* * *

His phone had been ringing softly, but it was Quatre’s gentle concern that pulled him all the way away out of his sleep. He opened his eyes tiredly. Quatre was sat on the floor by his side of the bed, fingers rubbing worriedly against his forehead. 

“No… no…” Quatre answered, his voice soft. “The number I have doesn’t work, it’s out of service. I’m sure, I just tried it.” He paused as he looked at his own phone, blue eyes electric in the glow. Quatre shook his head, “No, the last email was…Oh no, has it really been that long?”

Trowa reached out to gently let Quatre know he was awake. Quatre looked at him, pain and guilt in his eyes. Trowa frowned, sitting up further. 

“Trowa’s awake now, I’ll pass him over.” Quatre handed the phone over, mouthing ‘Hilde’. He returned his attention to his phone, using his free hand now to type urgently. 

Trowa sat up against the headboard, “Hilde? It’s …” He looked over at the bedside clock, “It’s 3.30am on L4…?”

“Sorry, I just forgot.” Hilde was brisk but sincere. “You know how it gets. I wouldn’t keep you up, but Quatre told me he hasn’t heard from Duo either. It’s a bit weird and I’m getting worried. Have you heard from him?” 

“What are you…? What do you mean Duo?” Trowa blinked blearily, “Uh, no. We aren’t due to get together for another…” He looked up, tired brain refusing to cooperate, “We’ve been busy…”

“I know.” Hilde was patient, “But don’t you at least get a message every so often…? Since Yuy pulled his last stunt, I thought you guys were resolved to at least keep in touch.”

“We are.” Trowa raised a hand to wipe over his face, “At least… we’re trying. I think… It’s been awhile since...” He blinked, “It’s been a while.”

“So, do you have a number for Duo that works then?”

“I think so…” Trowa raised a hand to wipe his eyes. “Why don’t you?”

“I thought I did.” Hilde sighed, “Look, it’s been like four months since I last heard from Duo. I wouldn’t normally worry, but …” She seemed to hesitate, “The new guy he’s seeing is a bit intense.” 

“So?”

“So, he doesn’t like me, and I’m hoping the reason I haven’t heard from him is because he’s having a sickeningly good time and his stupid loved-up brain just simply forgot.”

“He’s in a relationship?”

“In other words, you haven’t spoken to him in just over a year then?” Hilde sighed hard, “Shit, boys. That’s fucking shit, great keeping in contact.”

Trowa blinked at the quiet anger in her voice, he looked at Quatre who seemed to be staring at his emails morosely. 

Hilde sighed again, her voice softer. “I’m sorry, just… it’s a bit weird. He doesn’t normally fall out of contact so easily.”

“You’re right.” Trowa closed his eyes, regret welling. “He doesn’t normally fall out of contact. And we did say we’d be better after Heero’s disappearing act.” He reached out to stroke Quatre’s shoulder, feeling the tension in there. “I’ll contact Heero tomorrow, see if maybe he’s heard from Duo.” He sighed, “And I’ll check if I’ve got an updated contact card for Duo. I’ll get back to you.”

“Thanks, I’m sorry to bitch you out. And waking you up at this ungodly hour.” She laughed helplessly, “Shit, I’m not much better. It’s been four months and I only noticed last week.”

“That’s about 6 months before we noticed.” Trowa replied, “Bye, Hilde.”

He hung up and put his phone on the bedside table. Quatre hadn’t moved, staring at his phone. Its light made his pale blue eyes glow. 

“Come to bed, love.”

“It’s been over a year.” Quatre’s voice was low, “How awful is that?”

“We’re not exactly sitting on our hands.” Trowa replied, “He’ll be fine. Duo would contact us if something was wrong.”

Quatre’s sigh was heavy but he shifted anyway. “You’re right, it just… you know it’s been a while since we last saw Wufei either, you don’t suppose we missed his wedding?”

That made Trowa laugh, “Wufei wouldn’t get married without us.” He snorted tiredly, wrapping his arms around Quatre as they spooned. “That woman might prefer us not to be there, but I doubt Marta would allow it to happen.”

“You really don’t like Tatiana.”

“Reminds me too much of your sister.” Trowa smiled as the bed bounced with Quatre’s suppressed snigger. “Try to get back to sleep.” He could feel himself already sliding back into sleep, but remembered that sometimes Quatre could struggle. 

“Do you think Duo really is okay?”

“He’d find a way to let us know if something was wrong.” Trowa replied, “We’re pretty bad at this whole peace time communicating thing, but we’d know if something was wrong.”

“Yes. Yes, you’re right.” Quatre sighed, and Trowa could feel his breathing even out. 

Trowa snuggled closer, letting himself drop off back to sleep. 

* * *

Relieved to escape the pub’s hot atmosphere, Heero pushed through the doors and stepped out on to the street. He answered his phone gratefully, “Yuy.”

“Hi, is it too late to talk?” Trowa’s voice was smooth but quiet against the loud music. 

Heero put a finger in his other ear and stepped further away from the pub. “No, no. It’s fine!” 

“Are you okay? You’re yelling.” 

“No, I’m fine! The music was really loud.” Heero stumbled a little further away from the pub, spotting a low wall across the street. He carefully made his way across the street and sat down heavily. “What’s up?”

“Are you out?” Trowa sounded incredulous. “What’s the occasion?”

“Wufei’s girlfriend’s sister wanted me to meet her other sister.” Heero closed his eyes and hunched over to lean on his knees. The cold air was refreshing but he was starting to feel a little woozy. 

“Ah. Karolina.” 

“How do you know?”

“Sally Po neglected to tell Marta I was gay and in a committed relationship. It was quite confusing the last time I was on earth.” 

“Eh hehe…” Heero chuckled, “I see.” He took a deep breath, hoping it would clear his head. “Are you and Quatre coming to visit again? It’s only been…” He paused to look uselessly at his fingers, “Five… uh six months… has it been a year already?” 

“Not yet.” Trowa chuckled, “You sound drunk. I didn’t think you got drunk.”

“Karolina is… not like Tatiana.” Heero snorted, scratching an eyebrow, “I thought I was quiet.” 

“No, she is not like Tatiana at all, thankfully. I’m guessing that she still hasn’t come out to her family.”

It wasn’t that funny, but Heero couldn’t help the snorting laughter. “Aww, Wufei is never getting married. Tatiana won’t let Karolina come to the wedding without a boyfriend.”

Trowa sighed fondly, “Why Wufei is marrying her is beyond me. Anyway, that’s not why I was calling.” 

“Hmm. Yeah?”

“I was calling to find out if you’d heard from Duo recently.”

Heero blinked, suddenly feeling the alcohol. “Duo?” He wiped his hand over his face, sitting up slightly straighter. “No, he… I haven’t spoken to him since… I don’t remember, it was…” He looked up at the stars above, it was a clear night. “Before the hospital… he was still on L2.” 

Trowa’s sigh was quiet. “I thought so.” 

“Why? What’s wrong?”

“Hilde called me, she hasn’t heard from Duo in four months. With the new Preventers’ deal, she’s been so busy but she usually got a message from him every so often…” He paused, “When she called, I’d realised we hadn’t heard from him in months either.” 

“It’s not unusual…” Heero looked down from the sky, attention caught on people walking out of the pub. Two women followed by a man. One of the women was gesturing wildly at the other, and the man was trying to calm them both down. Heero squinted as he recognised Wufei. “We don’t always… I mean, when I went away, nobody worried…” Tatiana looked absolutely furious with Karolina. Heero got up, his voice distracted. “I came back when I got my head straightened out. Maybe he’s … getting away from it all too. He’ll be fine. We—“

“We should care though.” Trowa sounded regretful. “Listen, you sound like you could do with getting something not alcoholic. I’ll check in with Wufei tomorrow.” 

Heero snorted distractedly, “Wufei’s currently holding Tatiana back. I think maybe she’s had enough of Karolina’s attitude.” 

“Uh huh. Get home safely.” 

* * *

Relena’s laughter was brighter than his headache could tolerate. He winced. Heero slouched back in his chair, leaning away from the computer screen. He reached forward and turned down the volume. “Could you maybe not take so much pleasure in my pain?”

“Hey, I’ve never seen you hung over! Let me have this!” Relena sat back in her own chair, bringing one knee up to hug as she cradled her coffee. It was early afternoon, on L1. “So, how was Karolina?”

“She’s not interested in me.” He wearily lifted his mug and sipped it. The caffeine only did a little to shift his headache. “I don’t think I’m her type either.” He tilted his head thoughtfully, “Though she might be Dorothy’s… Dorothy feel up to taking on Krakowski in my place?”

Relena blushed lightly, tucking a lock of hair over her ear, “Uh, no. No. I think that Dorothy—I mean, I know she’s—um. The divorce was-- Uhhh...” Relena rolled her pretty blue eyes, shaking her head. It made her sloppy ponytail swish side to side. “Just… I think maybe, not something to…” Relena pressed the heel of her hand against her face, “Can we just change the topic?”

Heero blinked lazily, confused by Relena’s unusually flustered talk. “Uh… okay.” He took a breath, “Um… so how is your tour going?” 

Even over the video call, Relena’s sceptical look still amused him. “Do you really care?”

“No.” He sighed, “It’s going great, I was reading that the speech at the L1 memorial convention was beautiful and you made the L1 premier cry with your eloquent speech.” He gestured slightly with his mug, “Not a dry eye in the hall after the toast. I quite liked how you quoted both Trieze and Heero Yuy in the same speech.” 

Relena looked abashed, “I just think it’s time to remember to think about how far we’ve come.”

“Yup.” Heero leaned his head back against his desk chair. He glanced toward the window, appreciating the light and the slight breeze. He closed his eyes for a moment, listening to Relena as she continued to babble on. He was sitting comfortably in his pyjamas, gentle birdsong coming in from the street. It was going to be a glorious Saturday morning, even though his head was threatening to explode.

“Heero?”

He opened one eye, “Yes?”

“Just checking you haven’t fallen asleep on me.” Relena smiled broadly, “Maybe we should carry this on next time.”

He sat up slightly, “Sorry, I didn’t anticipate I would drink so much.” He winced, “Or get home so late…” 

“When did you get home?”

“About …” He leaned forward to check the time on the computer, “About 4 hours ago.”

Relena’s eyes widened in surprise, “And you still got up to make this video call?”

“I keep my appointments.” He waved his hand dismissively, “I can sleep after this.”

“Isn’t this like your second coffee?” Relena shook her head, “You idiot, you don’t need to… you didn’t need to keep this call, I would have taken a rain check.” She leaned forward, concern in her face, “You should probably just go straight to bed.” 

“I like talking to you.” 

“Uh huh.” Relena frowned, shaking her head. “I like talking to you too, but you better promise me that your next appointment is with your bed and a tall glass of water.” 

Heero snorted, “Yes, ma’am.” 

Relena nodded determinedly, glanced down and then looked at him directly. “Listen, maybe Karolina wasn’t your type, but…You’re going to keep trying, right?”

“Uh…” 

“I mean, I love talking to you. You’re one of my best friends.” Relena looked stern, “But you realise I’m not going to come back. I hope you aren’t holding out for—“

“Relena.” Heero held up a hand blearily, “I know you’re dating someone.” 

Her blue eyes widened, “You do not!” 

Heero chuckled tiredly, “Zechs can’t keep secrets. Not if they involve potentially pissing me off.” 

“That rat bastard.” Relena’s voice went flat, her shoulders dropping. “I’m going to destroy him.” 

“Noin already did.” He nodded slightly and then regretted the motion. He pressed his mug against his forehead. “Ow. He didn’t tell me who it was. Just…” He opened his eyes, “Are they making you happy?”

Relena’s cheeks filled with an adorable blush. She gave him a tiny nod before holding up her hands, “I mean we only just—I don’t know—I’m…” She took a breath and looked away, “I’m not really ready to…” She bit her lip. “I’m not ready for this to go big.” 

“I won’t be telling anyone.” Heero tilted his head, “Just let them know that if they ever make you feel unhappy, I will be there.” He watched as she smiled, and then as she thought and then he frowned as she seemed to consider something. “Do you think I couldn’t take them in a fight?”

Relena’s expression was uncertain, “I mean… I would pay money to see you fight.” 

Heero squinted at her. “You’re supposed to be the total pacifist. Are you seriously claiming I couldn’t defeat them in a fight?”

“Yeah, but…” Relena chuckled, shrugging. “I’m not sure how that fight would end.” 

“I see.” Heero nodded slowly, sitting back, cradling his drink. “No clues.”

“Not one.” Relena smiled brightly, “It was a good try though.” She snorted, “So, is Wufei really going to get married? Noin was telling me Tatiana’s a hot mess, whatever that means…” She paused and looked up, “I don’t know what that means...” 

* * *

Heero glanced up from his ebook as Wufei pulled into the space in front of his home. He’d been waiting in the sunshine, sitting on the steps leading up to his home. It was very early on a Monday, but Wufei’s text the night before made it sound like they needed the extra time. He picked up his bag, slinging it over his shoulder and got into the car. Wufei nodded to him, not saying much as he pulled out and started driving towards work. 

Heero carried on reading. 

“Want to stop for coffee?” Wufei asked quietly, “It’ll be on me.” 

“Sure.” Heero turned a page, “Are you okay?”

“Tatiana is…” 

Heero looked up at the uncharacteristic pause. Wufei seemed very focused on making the turn. 

“She’s quite upset with you.”

Heero blinked, “What did I do?”

“Because she can’t be upset with Karolina.” Wufei winced, “Their blazing row carried on after the taxi ride.” 

“Oh. So why must I shoulder the blame?”

“Because Karolina finally got mad enough to come out.” 

“You knew.”

“Trowa told me last year when he was visiting.”

“Why didn’t you--?”

Wufei glanced sharply at him, “That was her business. I said I would try and get you to the pub. Introduce you. I wasn’t about to out poor Karolina to her…” He frowned deeply, his lips twisting into an impatient look, “Intolerant sister.” 

Heero winced, “Is… Does Krakowski know?”

“Oh yes, Marta wasn’t entirely surprised – she clearly had her suspicions… I think she considered you a gentleman who’d keep her secret for Karolina. Tatiana appears to have been broadsided though. Saturday was spent with all three of them screaming at each other at the apartment, and then Sunday was all three of them at the apartment, bawling at each other.” He shook his head, “I swear I still have a headache.”

“Is Karolina all right?” 

Wufei’s frown deepened, “I hope so. I’ve made it clear to Tatiana that I won’t tolerate any homophobia. Karolina deserves better from her sister.” His lips pursed as he made another turn, “Tatiana is upset with me, but this is a line I won’t have her cross.”

“Has she met Quatre?” Heero asked casually, his own annoyance dancing lightly in his tone. “Because I’m sure Quatre would love to straighten her attitude out.” 

Wufei snorted, “I thought I might try peace talks first. I’ll engage Winner as a last resort.” Wufei glanced at him, “I told Karolina that you’re available to be her plus-one if necessary.” 

“Sure.”

They pulled into a drive through coffee shop, ordering quickly and carrying on. Heero sipped his coffee, reading his ebook as Wufei drove. After a few moments, Heero glanced at Wufei. “Are you okay?”

Wufei tilted his head in an unsure gesture, “I hadn’t realised her … intolerance was so deep. Marta was shocked as well.” He glanced at Heero, “It would seem she can handle having gay friends, but feels that her family should be…” Disgust passed over his face, “Pure.” 

Heero thought about that for a moment, before asking again. “Are you okay?”

“No.” Wufei tapped the steering wheel impatiently. “I don’t like it. It makes me question if I…” He pursed his lips. “My family would not meet her … exacting standards it would appear.” Wufei flicked a glance at Heero, “If she were to speak to Barton or Winner like that… I would be …” He shook his head. “I would not be patient.” 

“No. I should think not.” Heero frowned and looked out the window. They had turned onto the junction that would take them into the Preventers’ Plaza One’s car park. The phone call from Trowa came back to him. “Have you heard from Duo recently?”

“Maxwell?” Wufei’s voice was distracted as he navigated the difficult turns into the entrance. “Uh, no. Last I heard he’d signed up on L2, in a division that wasn’t Active - Berkins was so disappointed.” He frowned, eyes squinting as he tried to remember. “I can’t remember which division he ended up in... Schbeiker would probably know more than me.” 

“She hasn’t heard from him in a few months. She’s been asking Trowa—“

“So? We didn’t hear from you for a year, you came back.” Wufei rolled down his window to show his credentials to the gate. “I’m sure Maxwell is out there somewhere.”

Heero glanced at him. “Hm.”

“If Maxwell needed help, he’d contact us. He knows that. You know that.” Wufei pulled into a parking space neatly, taking the time to straighten up. “If there was something wrong, we’d know.”

Heero frowned, “Yeah. You’re right…” 

Wufei unbuckled his seatbelt and grabbed his coffee and keys, “I’m always right.” 

A car honked loudly in front of them. Heero stared at the irate driver in front of them. Beside him, Wufei raised his coffee cup with a wide grin. Heero looked at Wufei, then at Hasigawa who raised the middle finger and drove off to find a different space. “What’s her problem?”

“I parked in her space.” Wufei’s face was righteously smug. 

Heero narrowed his eyes in confusion, “We don’t have allocated parking?”

“This is the nearest space to the lift with direct line of sight and the shortest route to the exit. It’s the perfect space. It’s her favourite space.” 

“It’s literally a gap between several other similarly sized gaps.” Heero shook his head, “Is this why we needed to leave a little earlier today? So you could park here?”

“Yep. She took our files last week. I’m taking her space this week.” 

Heero held up a hand and got out of the car, “Can you just not let this escalate again?”

“I always win.”

Heero pulled his bag on his shoulder, “What is it about Hasigawa that gets you so riled up?”

“She’s an idiot who thinks she’s always right.” Wufei pulled out his own bag from the back seat and locked his car. “She thinks she’s so smart, honestly, it sickens me.” He started walking a little faster, “Come on. Let’s get upstairs before she arrives.” 

Heero rolled his eyes. 

* * *

“Afternoon.” 

Heero looked up as the other guy approached, this time holding a coffee and a sandwich. 

“Seat taken?” 

Heero moved over. “Go for it.” 

The other guy smiled, and sat gracefully. Heero watched carefully. Something about the way that the other guy moved triggered a vague memory. The other guy was well toned, sitting with extreme ease. 

“How was your week?” Heero asked nonchalantly, looking the other guy up and down once more. Despite how his uniform hung loosely on his body, there was muscle tone and a fitness to the other guy’s body that was very … recognisable. There was something so familiar. For a moment, Heero saw the cocky grin of the other guy--

“Ah, work was the same as usual.” The other guy’s awkward chuckle interrupted Heero’s thoughts. “Do I have something on my uniform?” 

“Just observing. I’m going to figure out who you are.” Heero shrugged. He gave the other guy another look over, trying to chase the thread of the familiar thoughts. “You work out?” 

“Uh huh.” The other guy replied in a deadpan manner, and then smiled broadly, “But seriously, yeah. I've been hitting the gym for a few years. After the war, you know...” He trailed off and ate silently for a while. 

Heero frowned and took a sip of his coffee. “I don't know much. After the war, I...” he took a breath, “I went a bit... Unglued from reality?” He looked across the park; he’d picked a spot that he could look out across the pond. “I lost contact with all of my friends, anyone who reminded me of the war, and had to start again. I found it really difficult to relearn everyone’s faces. The gym became my escape.”

The other guy's eyes were quite focused on the sandwich in his hands. “Yeah, I can get that, buddy.” 

Something in the way he spoke sparked a memory in Heero. Heero turned his head to stare at the guy intently, trying to recapture the moment in his mind. He found himself watching the other guy’s lips. It was almost so…

“Happens to people like us, who lived like us—“ 

“Who fought like us?” Heero whispered, realisation sinking in. “You're … oh shit, I’m…” 

The other guy chewed his sandwich for a long time before swallowing, and then nodding. “Yep.” He tilted his head towards Heero, his smile a little uncertain. “You seriously didn't recognise me?” 

“I... I...” Heero raised a hand and pointed at the other guy’s hat, “You… your hair?”

“Really? That’s how you remember…” The other guy snorted, “It’s all under the hat.”

“Oh…” Heero touched his forehead in shock, “I thought… I knew my facial recognition is pretty shot but…” 

The other guy smiled. “It's all right, I remember...”

Heero put his coffee down and reach out a hand. “Let's try this...” 

Confused, the other guy reached out a hand and took Heero's. Heero shook his hand, and introduced himself. 

“Heero Yuy, I'm a Preventer, Active Duty. It's a pleasure to meet you, I've enjoyed meeting you for lunch recently, it's been refreshing to meet someone outside of my division.” 

The other guy chuckled, “Ah haha, sure. I like it.” He tightened his grip and shook Heero's hand firmly twice. “Duo Maxwell, I'm also a Preventer, Cyber Crimes. Pleasure meeting you too, I'd be up for meeting more frequently as it seems we might have a lot in common.” 

Heero picked up his coffee, “I usually bring my own lunch.” 

“Me too. This...” Duo gestured the sandwich, “…is just a once a week thing for the day when I forget to make my own.” 

Heero smiled, “Yeah, that's my thinking as well.” He laughed as Duo held out his cup in a mock toast and touched his own cup to Duo’s. He chuckled embarrassed, “You know, Trowa told me that Hilde’s been looking for you. She hasn’t heard from you in—“

“A couple of months?” Duo returned his focus to his sandwich, he chuckled half-heartedly, “Yeah… I uh… I should probably get ‘round to calling her some time.” He took a bite out of his sandwich. 

Heero chuckled, “You’re lucky… Trowa’s worried. That’s more than I got.” He sipped his coffee, wrinkling his nose. “I’m almost jealous… Nobody looked for me when I went missing.” 

“I did.” Duo said quietly, sipping his coffee. “Me and Relena, we looked for you.” He sipped his drink again, staring out across the water. “Look, about Hilde… let me call her, but uh… if … she talks to you again, tell her I’m fine. She uh… Doesn’t get on with my new boyfriend.” 

“If I remember correctly, Hilde gets on with everyone.” Bemused at the concept, Heero frowned, “How are you dating the only person in the universe with whom Hilde does not get on?”

That caught Duo as he was drinking, he coughed. Heero smirked as Duo shook his head and cleared his throat. “Ames is… Just a bit straitlaced. He likes things done a certain way, and Hilde makes me a bit… slap-dash.” He shrugged, “I wanted to make a good go of it, so figured I could straighten myself out.” 

Heero narrowed his eyes as he tried to imagine it. “I’m trying to imagine you… straightened out? All I’m getting is Wufei.” He winced, “Wufei is never going to let me forget this… This is going to be worse than that one time he wore his hair down.”

“Ha ha.” Duo was deadpan, “Ames just… likes it when I’m sensible. We can’t always be the kids we were.” 

Confused, Heero frowned slightly, “You were always sensible when it counted.”

“Yeah, well.” Duo sipped his drink, “I don’t always want to be the… what did you used to call me? Baka?” He stared down at his coffee cup, “Ames is a really good guy.” 

“I look forward to meeting him.” Heero smiled lopsidedly, “If he makes you that happy.” 

Duo didn’t answer straight away, his eyes caught on the top of his coffee cup. He sighed. “He’s the best I’m ever gonna get, Heero. I gotta make it work.” He got up fluidly, “I gotta start heading back. Wanna join me?”

* * *

_So just have fun, it’s far enough_

_Everybody needs to sleep at night, everybody needs a crutch_

_But couldn't good, be good enough?_

_'Cause nothin' ever doesn't change but nothin' changes much_

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for joining me once again. I'd love to know what you think!!


	4. The glass shoes must be too delicate

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Heero just wants to reconnect. Hilde wants to be free from her paperwork. Duo just needs a computer and some healthy perspective.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: hahahahahahaha… I’m so old. You know the score.  
Notes: Relationships are hard work.  
Song: Ayumi Hamasaki – Beautiful Fighters

_I wonder_

_About what time I noticed_

_That a fairy tale is no more than a fairy tale_

* * *

**Your Body’s Poetry**

**By Dr Megalomania**

* * *

_And regrettably_

_Everyone knows_

_That there is a rather surreal ending_

* * *

**Chapter 3: The glass shoes must be too delicate**

* * *

“So...” Duo drew out the word, “How long have you been with the Preventers?” 

They were walking back towards Preventers headquarters. 

Heero laughed, feeling oddly free. “Remember the peace accords? I refused to join until they were signed. I didn't want to be a soldier anymore.” 

“Fair enough.” Duo glanced to the side, “By age 16, we'd both done enough.” A dark emotion flitted over his face as he muttered, “Bled and gave enough.” He seemed to pause for a moment, take a deep breath and force a smile back on his face. “I joined a couple of years ago.” 

“Wasn’t there…” Heero dug in his memory, “Something about a scrap business?” 

“Ugh.” Duo rolled his eyes, “I got ... bored? I didn't think I would, and it had been my dream for so long. Hilde was real good about it though.” He shook his head, and raised his hand to scratch his neck. “It seemed like a good idea at the time.” He ducked his head, “I should really check in with her… Man, I always just forget…”

The motion was so familiar, it sparked all the memories he had of Duo. Heero stopped in his tracks and stared hard at Duo, feeling cold. The other man stood in a uniform like his, the colour fading from his glasses as they switched from sunglasses to normal glasses. Heero struggled to figure out how he couldn’t have realised the person standing in front of him now was Duo. “How did I forget what you look like?” 

Duo paused and turned around, his smile lopsided. “In all honesty, I have no idea. Your facial recognition has always been pretty broken.” He smiled broadly, “Though I guess it doesn't help...” He reached up and removed the slouch hat, revealing his long hair, braided carefully around the back of his head. Neat and effective, Duo had kept most of his long hair but found a style that met the professional requirements of Preventers. 

Heero felt his lips twitch in amusement. “Isn't that... Ladies' acceptable hair style number 9?” 

Duo twirled the cap on his finger and turned away to resume walking, he called over his shoulder. “Think you'll find the wording is now completely gender neutral in the updated handbook.” 

Heero found himself laughing fondly. “Of course.” 

They entered the massive reception room, and paused. People continued walking around them, the room was busy. Duo jerked a thumb over his shoulder, “I'm heading this way, and you're not.” He snorted teasingly, “Captain Active Duty Yuy. So, I guess... See you next week?”

“Wait!” Heero reached into his back pocket and pulled out his phone. He shook it slightly as he woke the device up, tapping his contacts. “Here's my contact card. I don’t think I’ve got your new number…We shouldn’t wait until next week, we should find a time to catch up.”

Duo held out his own phone and woke the screen. He tapped it against Heero's and accepted the data transfer. He stared down at the contact details. 

“Huh.” He held up the phone, shaking his head slightly. “I'm... I ...” Duo glanced down and then looked up, his violet eyes sincere behind the wide glasses. “Look, I missed you. Always wondered what happened to you. Kinda figured the government put you on ice to save the world next time...” He glanced at his phone before sliding it back into a pocket. “I mean, I coulda looked you up at any time. My department—“

“Cyber Crimes is awfully lax if you think you could do that,” Heero said drolly. He held out a hand, smiling as Duo took it, “I'm glad you found me on the bench.” He gestured in his office's direction. “Wufei works upstairs.” 

“No way.” Duo whistled, eyebrows raised in surprise. “He's still here? Totally would have pegged him as settled and married with kids by now. Working in some dusty office…” 

“If Krakowski gets her way, he will be in about six months.” Heero smirked. “Her sister is his girlfriend.” 

“Krakowski? As in Marta Krakowski?” Duo pointed down, “The Dragon of Records?” 

Heero jerked in surprise, “Yes!” 

“Her sister, Six-Shot-Krakowski-Minor, is dating Wufei? Wufei - Honour is everything - Chang verses Marta - Fucking don't cross me - Krakowski.” Duo's face lit up, “I would pay actual money to see this. I thought the tales Riko was telling Loris were fictional...Shit.” Duo stared for a moment. “Six-Shot-Krakowski-Minor isn’t a myth?!”

Heero thought for a moment, “We're going out this Friday, you could meet this mythical Six-Shot-Krakowski-Minor.” He shrugged, suddenly self-conscious, “It’s just a drink down at the Matters. I mean, it’s singles night but nobody pays attention to it… You'd be welcome to come along.” 

“The one… On Brennan street?” Duo clicked his fingers twice, “Uh… The one with the atomic diagram for a sign?” 

“That's the one. I’m probably just going straight from work.” 

“Yeah!” Duo's grin was broad and glad, his eyes wide and slightly dazed, “I can totally make that. My apartment isn't that much further.” His phone buzzed, and he pulled it out to check it. A frown flitted over his face, all the excitement draining away. “Um... yeah, look, I gotta go.” He started walking backward, his phone buzzed again. Duo gave it one look, winced, and nodded, “But - yeah, meet you, what? Here? What time do you finish on Friday?” 

“I can be done for 5pm.” Heero took a couple of steps forward, walking after Duo. He gestured towards the nearby cafe, “Meet you there?”

“We got a plan, Yuy.” Duo turned and began to walk a high speed. 

Heero watched him go, feeling lighter than he'd felt for a while. His phone discreetly pinged in his pocket, and he pulled it out to check it as he got into the elevator. A message from Duo. 

_Thanks for inviting me._

Heero didn't even think about it, his reply flying straight from his fingertips. 

_I'm sorry I didn't know, but I missed you too._

Duo left him on read for a few moments, typing, deleting and typing and deleting until... 

_I'm glad you remember me._

Heero blinked at the odd warmth he felt, it made him smile and lean back against the wall.

* * *

Heero stretched, linking his hands over his head and arching his back. He yawned as he got up from his computer. Wufei had left an hour ago, and Heero would be making his own way home. He was glad that he wouldn't miss the last bus, though he knew he'd have to leave now to be able to catch it. He paused by the window to look out at the city below. It had been raining hard all day for the past three days. The day at the park seemed like a distant memory now. Heero shook his head, and walked back into the office to pick up an umbrella. Checking his phone for the time, Heero picked up the pace and walked out of Preventer headquarters. 

He arrived at the bus stop and found quite a number of people waiting. It was clear that the bus was running late. Heero was very glad he'd picked up the umbrella; there wasn’t enough space under the shelter for him to stand. He sighed and pulled out his phone, putting his headphones in. 

He was quite focused on his game when the couple walking out of Preventers headquarters caught his attention; they were arguing loudly enough to make everyone around him awkwardly try to watch without being noticed. Heero glanced up as he heard one of them raise his voice. They were too far away to be really heard clearly over his music. Their body language showed that they were clearly quarrelling. Heero tilted his head curiously when he noticed that one of the men wore a familiar slouched hat. Without thinking Heero took a couple of steps forward, concerned. 

In the heavy rain, Duo was shaking his head, flinging his hands in the air in a stopping motion. The other man was snapping angrily at him, gesturing widely. Heero paused when Duo threw his hands in the air in a defeated gesture and walked away from the other man. They had both been walking away from the bus stop, and Heero briefly wondered if he should follow. The other man truly looked irate, shoving a hand through his dark hair impatiently. 

Heero took a step forward, and watched as Duo stopped and turned. Heero couldn't hear what they were saying, but Duo looked very angry now. Heero trained his eyes on Duo’s lips, seeing Duo say, “I’m not taking this. You always do this to me! He’s my friend, and I’m not going to take this anymore!”

Almost shaking, Duo was tugging at a set of keys and succeeded in pulling a key off his set. He held the key out and clearly demanded a key back from the other man. “I can’t do this! I’ve had enough!”

The other man was still for a moment, before hurriedly dragging his own keys out. He struggled with the set, before he pulled off the key that Duo appeared to be asking for. He held it up for Duo to see, and then threw the key into the road. Without another look, the other man snatched his key from Duo, spun and stormed off. He walked into Heero roughly, swearing as he passed. 

Pulling his headphones off, Heero looked at him for a long time as the other man stomped away. Heero turned slowly, and looked at Duo. The other man was staring forlornly into the road, his face pale in the street light. Heero followed his gaze, the road wasn't very busy but it was dark. The rain would make looking for the key rather difficult. He looked back at Duo, who now stood at the end of the road, one hand rubbing his forehead. He didn't see Heero, didn't react until he seemed to realise it wasn't raining on him anymore. 

Dropping his hand heavily, Duo looked at the umbrella above him and then at the person holding it. It wasn't really large enough for two people, so Heero held it out over Duo, allowing the rain to fall on himself instead. 

Duo sighed deeply. “Any chance you just happened to not see that?”

Heero pressed his lips together, feeling a little awkward. He glanced away, looking in the direction of the key that had been thrown. “Was that your key?”

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Duo raise a hand to roughly scrub at his eyes. Heero chewed on his lip for a moment. He handed Duo the umbrella and stepped out into the road. Keeping one eye on the traffic, Heero quickly hunted for the key where he thought it had landed. He found it by the curb on the other side, crouching to pick it up. He wiped the key on his trouser leg, and held it up for Duo to be able to see. 

Just in time to watch the last bus pulling away from the stop he'd been waiting by. 

He was so caught up watching the last bus he could take home, he didn't realise Duo had crossed the road to join him. Duo looked crestfallen, “Let me guess, that was your last chance to get home tonight?”

Heero snorted flatly, “I can still get home, it's just going to be more—“

“I can drive you.” Duo said quickly, “Least I can do.” 

“I didn't—“

“You found my spare key.” Duo nodded decisively and stepped closer to Heero, holding the umbrella over both of them. “It's the very least I could do for you!”

Heero tipped his head and held out his hand, the key lay in the middle of his palm. “Given how heavy the rain is, I'm not going to say no.” 

Staring at the key in Heero’s hand, Duo’s eyes welled up before taking it. He blinked and nodded, jerking a thumb over his shoulder, “I'm parked under headquarters.” 

* * *

They didn't say much until Duo pulled out onto the main road. Heero gave quiet instructions and then waited. Duo was very quiet, it didn’t quite gel with the memory Heero had of the man. Heero flexed his fingers over his knees, staring out ahead. The radio chatted away quietly, and the windscreen wipers kept a regular rhythm. Heero glanced at Duo. The other man was staring ahead, focused on his driving but his expression was miserable. Heero chewed his lip and shrugged, “Thanks for the lift.” 

“It's nothing.” 

“Is it far out of your way?” 

“I'm in a car, nothing's really out of my way in town.” 

Heero frowned, “It's pretty late. You might not have time for dinner by the time you get home.”

“I'm not gonna sleep or eat tonight. Too stressed.” Duo swallowed, his hands flexing on the steering wheel. “I mean... It doesn't-- Nevermind.” 

“Who--?”

“He's...” Duo swallowed thickly, “He was my boyfriend. We've been together for a while.” 

Heero floundered for a moment, not sure what to say. “I'm sorry.”

“I'm not.” Duo sounded bitter. He shook his head and a tear rolled down his cheek. “Bastard thinks I'm cheating on him. After everything I gave up for him, he can’t even trust me on this.”

Heero sat still, “Are you okay?”

“He thought I was cheating with you.” Duo shook his head again, his lip trembling. “Asshole. He did this with Hilde too!” 

“I'm sorry,” Heero thought for a moment. “Would you like me--?”

“Fuck, no.” Duo spat, his anger coming to the fore. “I'm not staying with someone who thinks going through my phone and fucking ordering me not to talk to my own family is fucking acceptable in a relationship!” He drew a deep breath and swallowed. “I’m sorry. That’s kind of you, but Ames made his choice. He could have not tried to be a fucking asshole about it. He promised me he’d back off after we agreed I’d stop calling Hilde so often!” He risked a glance at Heero, and sighed sharply. “Honestly, this was the last fucking straw!”

Heero nodded, “I understand.” He looked down for a moment, “I’m still sorry.” 

“It’s not your fault.” 

“I’m sorry you’re feeling this.” Heero clarified, linked his hands together. “I know it hurts to break up with someone you loved. It’s left up ahead.”

Duo made the turn before quietly saying, “I knew you’d broken up with the princess.” He paused as if not sure if he should say anything else, “I’m sorry it played out so… publically.” 

Heero shrugged, fixing his look on the road ahead. “It wasn’t as bad as the magazines made out.” He pointed at a space, “You can park there.” 

Duo pulled into the parking space, and switched his car off. They sat in the dark for a few moments. Duo’s hands slipped off the steering wheel, he pulled his glasses off and let his hands hang limply in his lap. Heero swallowed as he listened to Duo begin to weep. He wasn’t sure what to do. He had been telling the truth about his break up. Relena took the brunt of it, thanks to her very visible lifestyle. She was the princess who’d walked away from the knight that had saved her. It had made Heero uneasy, but he hadn’t really cared. It had felt like their relationship had started because someone else decided that they obviously belonged together. When Relena had finally realised she wanted more than a devoted knight at her beck and call, Heero had begun to realise what he’d felt for her was little more than friendship. They’d parted on even terms, despite the immense public disappointment. It hadn’t been as visceral as this.

He glanced at Duo, the sorrow and fury that radiated from him was palpable. Heero licked his lips and tentatively reached out a hand to cup it over one of Duo’s clenched fists. Duo’s quiet weeping haltingly stopped, Duo’s other hand unclenched and reached up to scrub the tears from his face. Heero looked at him, when he was ready to glance back at Heero. It was dim in the car, but Heero could see how red Duo’s eyes were. Heero nodded, “Why don’t you come in?” 

* * *

Duo sat at the breakfast bar as Heero moved around the kitchen with familiar ease. He wrapped his hands around the hot mug, appreciating the thick ceramic. It was a huge mug, round and heavy. It was so awkwardly large; Duo’d almost dropped it when Heero first handed it to him. Thankfully, Heero hadn’t let go. Duo closed his eyes and sighed. Now Heero was pottering around making a light dinner for them both, a soup of some delicious smelling kind. Duo glanced at the clock, he’d need to gulp it down and then—

“Why don’t you stay the night?” Heero asked as if he’d read Duo’s mind. Duo looked at him, slightly alarmed. Heero was staring down at the pot, stirring. He looked over his shoulder, “I mean. I think that it will likely be really quite late by the time you finish this, and…” He looked away, stirring for a moment. He sighed. “I don’t think you should be driving.” 

“I’m okay.”

Heero didn’t answer for a while, worry in his eyes warring with not wanting to overstep. It made Duo feel even worse. “Okay,” he said quietly. “But…” He turned and slipped into a chair on the opposite side of the breakfast bar, linking his hands together as he leaned forward. “I do have a spare bedroom, and I can wash your uniform tonight and it will be dry for tomorrow.” 

“I don’t want to impose.” 

“It’s fine.” Heero nodded, “Besides, we could catch up a bit.” He smiled in a way that threw Duo back to age 15. Heero added quietly, “I’d really like that.” 

The hope in his voice made Duo swallow hard and his eyes well up. Ames’ furious accusations rang in his mind and made him close his eyes against the memory. He felt something warm touch his back and he opened his eyes to Heero standing beside him, a hand tentatively stroking his back and concern was in his expression. Ames’ angry voice faded away in his head at the sight of Heero’s steady dark blue eyes. 

“I…” Heero pursed his lips together for a moment, “I don’t think you should be driving like this.”

Duo snorted, his voice catching as he spoke, “What, Yuy? You never cry and drive?”

“No.” Heero answered simply, “I pull over and rest.”

Duo's shoulders drooped, “You must think I'm pathetic.” 

Confusion appeared on Heero's face, “No. I think you're mourning the loss of a relationship, and possibly need to be less hard on yourself.” He sighed, “If there's one thing I've learned over the last few years, it's that allowing yourself to feel sad is not a problem.” He hesitated and then nodded, “This Ames ... you can still miss him, even though you're angry at him for breaking your relationship over... nothing he needed to worry about.” 

“You're not nothing, Heero.” Duo cupped his hands around the round cup and sighed, “Ames knows that I've missed you all.” He fell silent for a long moment, “It’s been so long since… I suppose he doesn't realise that missing someone does not automatically translate into I'm having a relationship with them.” 

Heero tilted his head, “I've missed you too.” He smiled slightly, “Stay?”

Duo sighed, “You know, Ames is just going to...” He paused, shaking his head, “Yeah. I think I will.” He pulled out his phone, a nasty feeling occurring to him. “I guess you still have a pretty decent set up, even though you're AD these days. Mind if I use your rig to check my phone for bugs.” 

Heero frowned, “You think he'd go so far?” 

Shame rose in Duo. His throat was tight as he looked down at his phone. He breathed out for a moment, before coming to a conclusion. Heero had already seen him crying, what little respect Heero had for him wasn’t worth keeping. He held up the phone and looked at Heero, meeting the steady blue eyes with everything he had left. 

“He knew enough that I searched up gyms in the local area because I'd had the vague thought of inviting you to work out with me at some point and drafted an email to that effect.” Duo slipped out of his chair and stood, “So, yeah, I reckon my phone might be compromised.” He raised a hand to massage the back of his neck, looking away from Heero’s concerned expression. “I'm so stupid. I should have—“

He stopped when Heero squeezed his arm. Heero tilted his head, “Come on, you can use my spare set up. I'll isolate it from the network for you.” 

“Thanks man.” Duo looked down at his phone. “Can I use your line to call someone?”

* * * 

There were days when Hilde felt like she was going to be found under a pile of virtual paperwork. She rolled her eye and cricked her neck. She was going to give it another thirty minutes and then she’d give Wufei another go. 

The soft pinging of her comms interrupted her mid-calculation and she took a moment to finish it off. It wasn’t a connection she recognised, coming from Earth. She picked up. The video opened in her main monitor and she almost fell off her chair. “Duo?!”

Her immense joy was swiftly dampened as she realised that he wasn’t smiling, he’d been crying. She straightened her shoulders and immediately she leaned forward to hiss. “What the fuck did he do to you?”

“I can’t…” He swallowed and looked away for a moment. “We broke up. I’m over at Heero’s. He said you’ve been worried.”

“I was about to contact the Preventers and say they had a missing person.” She scrubbed a hand over her missing eye. “Shit, Duo. What did he do to you?”

“I can’t talk about it yet.” 

Hilde stared at him, he seemed smaller - both physically and mentally. Hell, he was smaller - gaunt almost. He’d been pleasingly chubby in their relationship, a soft kind of strong. Now? He looked almost skeletal to her eye. She pursed her lips. “I want to see you in the flesh and hug you.” She raised a finger, jabbing the air as she spoke. “I’m gonna give you time, because you look like you just want to curl up and lick your wounds. I can respect that. Okay?” She glanced to the side, looking at her packed calendar and shook her head. “I can’t get away right now. Can’t get myself to earth, but you sure as hell… are going to take care of yourself, between now and … four months from now.”

“Okay.” he said softly and Hilde shook her head. 

“I’m going to kill him.”

“No. Don’t. Just.” Duo took a breath, adjusted his glasses. “Just leave it okay? It’s over.”

“You speak to Une yet?”

“Hilde…”

She shook her head hard, “Nope.” She jabbed the air with a finger, “She said she’d take care of you!”

“Hilde, she doesn’t know.”

“Uh huh.” Hilde dead-panned. She looked over to her second screen and brought up her emails. She opened a fresh email, “Dear General Une.”

“Hilde!”

“Duo Maxwell needs to make an appointment with you.” Hilde typed as quickly as she spoke. “Sincerely, Hilde S. And send!” She levelled a furious look at him. “And there we go.”

“And what good is that going to do?”

“She’s going to do something about him.”

Duo rolled his eyes fondly. “I don’t think the leader of the Preventers--”

“Your legal guardian.”

“-- of four months… is going to care about my personal life and a break up.”

Hilde narrowed her eye. “We’ll see.” She nodded, “Now, you’re with Heero?”

* * *

Heero's t-shirt was a little large on him, but he was glad to be slouched on the couch next to Heero and watching something mindless on the TV. The soup had been wonderful in its simplicity and - despite his damned mind replaying snippets of the argument - Duo felt at rest. His phone was undergoing a sweep and a clean on Heero's spare set up. He really appreciated Heero's patience, his careful lack of judgement and the way he left Duo to cry it out. Once Duo had gotten a handle on his turbulent emotions and finally hung up on Hilde, he'd managed to find the tracking software Ames had installed and set about cleaning all traces of Ames from his online life. 

There was a moment of horror as he realised how far Ames had been tracking his movements. 

Heero had stepped in, with a bowl of soup in hand and spare t-shirt and joggers draped over his arm. Once Duo had gotten changed and brought his damp uniform down stairs, Heero was ready to put it in his washing machine, setting a short wash and dry cycle. They’d ended up on either end of Heero’s large couch. Duo had sat carefully, eating in small bites to avoid dropping anything on himself or Heero’s couch. When he’d finished his soup, he’d taken his bowl to Heero’s kitchen, rinsing it even though Heero had called after him to leave it on the side. Ames always complained about how much of a slob Duo had been, and Duo was keen not to make Heero regret letting him stay--

“I like to go to the gym pretty early.” 

Snapping out of his thoughts, Duo blinked at glanced at Heero. Heero was sipping his drink, his expression a little tired. Duo winced slightly, “Sorry, what?”

“The gym.” Heero looked at him evenly, “I like going in the morning. You mentioned you were thinking of inviting me to go.”

“Yeah.” Duo sat up slightly, crossing his legs. “Um, yeah. I can do early.” He glanced down at his cup, “I just thought it would be nice—“

“It would.”

He looked at Heero surprised, “Really?”

“Yes. I've been thinking about going back more seriously.” Heero sipped his drink, and his dark blue eyes slipped off Duo to stare at the TV. “Since Wufei started dating Tatiana, I don't often get to go with someone else. My weight training has been...” Heero's lips pursed with frustration, “Somewhat lacking.” 

“If you're willing to walk me through it, I'm sure I can help.” 

Heero glanced at Duo, “You don't weight train?”

“Do I look like I could fight my way out of a wet paper bag these days?” Duo laughed slightly. “I focus mostly on cardio and remaining flexible. Trying not to let the desk swallow me, but I have not been focused on weights…” He lifted his arms, “I can lift tiny amounts, but I haven't really gotten into the grunting area.”

Amused, Heero snorted, “That's why I like the early morning.” 

“Ain't nobody got time for grunting at...?”

“Five thirty.” 

“Is that a real time in the morning?”

Heero laughed, “We used to always get up at five thirty in the safe houses.”

“Yeah, but I mean... We're grown ass men now, with proper jobs...” Duo winced, closing his eyes before nodding once sharply. “Okay, I can do it.” 

“That's the spirit.” Heero smiled, “Send me your gym name, I could join it.” 

“I usually just use the Preventers' gym.” Duo shrugged, “Ames thought my old gym was too expensive so—“

“I won’t need to join a new gym then.” Heero nodded thoughtfully, “That's my regular gym as well.” 

“They open at 7am?” Duo frowned, sipping his drink. “I don’t think we’re talking about the same gym.”

“They open at 5.30am for famous Gundam Pilots who ask really nicely.” 

“Rude.” Duo chuckled and drank his tea, “So, I gotta ask –“ He held up the large round orange mug, “What's with the crazy cups?”

Shrugging, Heero smiled, “I just like the shape.” He pointed at the mug, “And … You know.”

Duo took a moment to look at the mug in his hand and then back at Heero blankly. Heero shrugged and gestured the mug. “You know!”

“Uh.”

Heero looked confused and gestured the mug again. “Look at it!”

Duo looked down at the mug in his hands again. “Nope…. Not getting it.” 

“Just… Look at how orange it is.” Heero leaned forward, pointing at the mug again. “It’s so stupidly orange.”

Duo stared at him, a multitude of thoughts occurring until he blurted. “Shit, the trainers!”

“They were so stupidly yellow. Who even makes that kind of yellow for trainers?” Heero nodded, before raising a finger to wag at Duo. “See, you get it!” 

Duo stared at Heero incredulously until the two of them dissolved into laughter. 

* * *

_I feel_

_The glass shoes must be too delicate_

_To run through this age_

_If they fit just right, just maybe..._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for joining me here. Shorter chapter this time, I hope you let me know what you think!


	5. Who told you that you stood a chance with this royalty?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Relationships are hard work and sometimes you've got to make a choice.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: hahahahahahaha… I’m so old. You know the score. 
> 
> Notes: Relationships are hard work.
> 
> Song: Lizzo – Jerome

_I never said I was perfect_

_Or you don't deserve a good person to carry your baggage_

_I know a few girls that can handle it_

_I ain't that kind of chick, but I can call 'em for you if you want_

_I never said that you wasn't attractive_

* * *

**Your Body’s Poetry**

**By Dr Megalomania**

* * *

_Go on, take your ass home_

_And come back when you're grown_

* * *

**Chapter 4: Who told you that you stood a chance with this royalty?**

* * *

Heero arrived at his desk earlier than normal; thanks to the lift Duo gave him in the morning. They’d had a quick breakfast together, working out a date for their gym sessions. Duo had been unusually quiet on the drive in and dropped Heero by the entrance before driving around to the parking complex. As he drove, Heero couldn’t help noticing that without the smile, Duo’s face was haggard. It didn’t comfort Heero to realise part of the reason he hadn’t been able to recognise Duo was because the other guy had lost so much weight. As Heero was getting out, Duo leaned over. “I think I’ll give Friday a miss.” 

Heero had only nodded, careful not to look too disappointed. “Lunch though? Still on for next week?”

“Sure.” Duo had only smiled tightly, “Yeah. See you at the gym tomorrow morning.” 

Nodding again, Heero stepped back and closed the door. Adjusting his bag on his shoulder, he walked off towards his office. Wufei wouldn’t be in for another 30 minutes, so Heero took the time to sort out the mail, water the plants in their small office and brace himself for the inevitable hours of mocking when Wufei realised who ‘The Other Guy’ had been. He cleared his digital notice board and was reading through his emails when Wufei walked in with coffee for both of them. Heero glanced up at Wufei’s uncharacteristic quiet. “Everything okay?”

“Sure.” Wufei said shortly. He sighed impatiently and then pulled a chair to sit in front of Heero’s desk. He looked at Heero squarely. “Are you seeing Duo Maxwell in a romantic sense?” 

Caught by the sudden question, Heero frowned. “No.”

“I have been informed that Maxwell has a romantic partner.” Wufei curled his lip, “And that you have been seen recently making… overtures.”

“Not as of last night, he doesn’t have a romantic partner. And yes, the other guy I’ve been seeing at lunch was Duo but that doesn’t mean I’m dating him.” Heero tilted his head, “Why?”

Wufei’s face was tired, his expression mildly frustrated. “Turns out that Tatiana works with Amadeus’ best friend, who gave Maxwell’s … now ex-boyfriend her number. He called Tatiana so she could have a go at me last night for not …” Wufei’s lip curled with deep anger. “…controlling you.”

Heero nodded, adding mildly. “I can see how that did not go well.”

“It did not.” Wufei sipped his own coffee and stood. “The woman tries my patience. It did not help that Tatiana does not agree when I told her you had more honour than that and that you were single.” He made a face, “As she well knows.” 

“Ah.” 

“Indeed.” Wufei reached a hand up to pinch his nose and sigh. “Frankly, if I were Maxwell, I would not want this Amadeus either. Tatiana made it sound like Maxwell had stabbed him and spat on his corpse.” Wufei nodded, “But I know Maxwell wouldn’t treat anyone with such contempt.”

“Hmm.” Heero hummed non-committedly. “I wonder if he felt betrayed before or after he threw Duo’s apartment key into traffic after demanding that Duo choose between our continued friendship or his relationship with Amadeus.” 

Wufei looked unimpressed. “You saw him do that?”

“We met for lunch yesterday. I witnessed their break-up after work.” Heero nodded as he sipped his coffee. “Duo stayed with me last night. Does Tatiana know that Amadeus laced more tracking software on Duo’s phone than we put on the Fennick laptop?”

“He tracks Maxwell’s phone?” Wufei looked up as if the information seemed to slot into place for him. “That would be how Tatiana was so certain Maxwell was with you last night.” He made a disgusted expression, “Ugh, the more I learn of this Amadeus, the less I like him. Is Maxwell okay?”

Heero thought for a moment, drinking his own coffee. “I don’t think so, but I don’t have enough information to really assess that. He claims to be fine.” Heero shrugged, “I have made plans with him to have lunch next week and we’re planning on going to the gym tomorrow. He was going to come along to meet you at the pub on Friday, but he’s withdrawn from that.” 

“Probably wise, considering Tatiana is planning on giving you a dressing down on Friday.” 

“Ah, maybe I’m also skipping Friday.”

“No.” Wufei looked at him firmly, “I will not allow that woman to abuse you. My girlfriend or not, you’re my brother and she doesn’t get to chase you away from our social time. I’ve been trying to get you to come to the pub for months! I’ll speak to her today.” 

“Thank you.” Heero tipped his coffee towards him, “Shall we carry on?”

“One more thing.” Wufei pursed his lips, “I want to catch up with Maxwell. This Amadeus does not sound like he was good to Maxwell.” He looked at Heero, concern in his eyes. “I’d like to make absolutely sure Maxwell is okay for myself.” 

Heero’s smile was lopsided, “He did say he wanted to meet up, he’s missed … well, all of us.” A thought occurred to him, “Amadeus does not sound like someone who liked Duo’s social nature…”

Adjusting his glasses, Wufei nodded, “I suppose there really aren’t very many people like us out there. We make an odd family.” He walked over to his own desk and began logging into his work account. “Have you seen the new report Conzec sent us?”

“Not yet. It’s downloading. It would appear that Hasigawa didn’t get in before you.” He glanced over at Wufei. The other man was standing and staring out the window contemplatively. “Duo was the other guy.”

Wufei’s head tilted slightly. “I worked that out. We’ve got to do something about your eyes.”

“It’s not my eyes that are the problem.”

Wufei nodded. He turned from the window and sat on the corner of Heero’s desk. “Given your … powers of observation… I’d like to judge for myself if he is fine.” He glanced down at Heero, “And then I will mock you. For days.”

“Hours.”

Wufei shook his head slowly. “He’s one of five Gundam pilots and you didn’t recognise him.” He nodded grimly. “Days, Yuy. There were only five of us. Schbeiker has been going spare, and you’ve been having lunch with him. It’s going to be days. Weeks, one could argue, but” -- He pressed his hand against his chest sincerely -- “I’m generous.”

* * *

After dropping Heero off, Wufei drove home. He’d parked and was just getting out of the car when he heard his name being called sharply. Grabbing his bag, he straightened and locked his car. Marta stood on the steps just outside his apartment. “Marta?”

She pursed her lips and shook her head hard, “You spoke to your partner?”

“Yes, of course. I said I would.” He frowned, glancing up at his apartment, he saw Karolina glance out the window with a worried expression. “Why are you here?”

“Because Tatiana is upset that you haven’t called her.” Marta looked distinctly unimpressed. 

“Why would I …?” Wufei paused and raised a hand to pinch his nose, he could feel his temper rising. Taking a deep breath, he swallowed and looked at Marta. “Is she still going on about Yuy? I’m sorry you needed to come and console her, I hadn’t realised I was supposed to call. I didn’t mean to—“

“She’s being a brat!” Marta looked even more unimpressed. “You work all day, stop bending for her!” She shook her head, “You clearly don’t spend as much time on social media as she does.” 

“Why would that…?” Wufei shook his head and pulled out his phone. Checking his pages, he found that his relationship status with Tatiana had been changed to ‘complicated’. He took another long slow breath. 

“You didn’t call after she made the change.”

“She doesn’t have a clear picture of what I do for a living.” Wufei put his phone away. He looked at the street, taking the time to carefully wind down his rising fury. “Why are you here?”

“Because if you don’t walk out tonight, I wanted to be here to witness a miracle.” She threw her hands up in the air, “You are perfect for her. You are the best man for Tatiana. But…” She shook her head and walked in a small circle, “You…” She put her bony hands on her hips and shook her head, “Tatiana is not good for you. I can see that now.” She made a frustrated noise when he started to look more confused. “You’re an idiot.” She yanked out her phone and made a phone call. She glanced at him quickly, as she spoke to someone else. “Yes, yes. No, you’re right. He doesn’t get it.”

“Get what?” Wufei spread his hands, just as the front door to his apartment flew open and his cat came screeching out. “Pumpkin?” The poor cat clambered up him to sit on his shoulder, claws digging in, and hissed. He looked up as Karolina stormed out of the apartment as well. Stopping just in front of him, she shook her head at him. She was sopping wet, makeup running down her face - almost vibrating with wrath. 

“She’s drunk!” She fumed, “Have fun with that!” She looked at Marta, “I’m done holding that bitch’s hair. Don’t call me again!” She stormed off down the street, getting into her own car and peeling out of the space. 

Marta stared after her, and shook her head. She turned to her phone again, “Yes. Yes. Alright. I’ll update you. Come as soon as you can... I’ll see you then.” She hung up with a sigh, and looked at Wufei. “Look, she’s very drunk now.”

“Marta…” Wufei shook his head, “She probably shouldn’t be alone. I’m not going to leave her…” 

“No. I’ll stay. You pack a bag.” 

“What? No, Marta, she’s my fiancée. We’ll talk it out.”

“Hmm.” Marta shook her head, “You know what she’s like when—“

“If we can’t talk it out, then what’s the point?” Wufei spun, frustration bubbling over. She looked at him, her expression grim. He jerked in surprise when she reached up a hand to touch his shoulder. 

“You’re a good man. You deserve better.” 

“Wufei!”

Marta and Wufei looked up the stairs. Tatiana was still in her suit, but was only wearing one shoe. She pointed at him. “You!” She flung a hand in the air, almost unbalancing herself. “You don’t even care!” She staggered back into the apartment, loudly sobbing. 

Wufei took a step forward, but paused as Marta held him back. She looked unsurprised, “Don’t think any of that is real. She can sob for days.” Marta shook her head, “If you want to have any chance, I would suggest you walk out and stay somewhere else tonight. Don’t let her theatrics force you into something you’re probably going to regret later.” 

“Marta –“ Wufei started, wincing as Tatiana let out a particularly heart rending wail. He shook his head at Marta, and ran up the stairs. He winced as his cat jumped down from his shoulder, and stayed outside. Tatiana was sobbing on the sofa, her face pressed into a pillow; makeup smearing all over the pale surface. 

“You don’t even care!” She wailed again, “It’s been hours!”

“I don’t check my phone all of the time.” Wufei knelt down beside her, reaching up to pet her hair gently. “You know I am an investigator, my personal phone is off for most of the day. If you needed me--”

She sniffled hard, “You said you’d speak to your partner!” She sat up, “Ames is heartbroken that Heero would make Duo choose! You don’t understand how hard Ames has been working with Duo; he’s so broken from the war…”

Marta snorted from the doorway, “Duo Maxwell, the new clown in Cyber Crimes? Oh yes, he looks very broken up all the time!”

“Ames has been working so hard for Duo, he’s given up so much of himself for that ungrateful—“

“Ames asked Maxwell to stop speaking to Yuy.” Wufei patted her hand, trying to calm her. “Yuy saw their fight outside Preventers headquarters yesterday… Ames threw Maxwell’s key into the road.” 

“Of course you’d believe Heero, it’s always GUNDAM FIRST!” Tatiana slapped his hand away and drew herself up woozily. “You know what? I’m sick of it! Ames is right; you always treat me like I’m second choice… I’m never going to come first!”

Wufei felt his mouth fall open in shock. Behind them, Marta raised her hands in the air in frustration. Wufei stared at Tatiana, her eyes could barely stay fixed on him. He shook his head, and stood. “I-I don’t think this is the right time for us to be having this conversation. I’m going to go rescue Pumpkin.” He started to walk away, and felt Tatiana scramble up and fall into him. He caught her and gently pushed her back onto her feet. 

“Tatiana…” Marta muttered, reaching forward to grab her. “Come now, time for bed.” 

“No. No!” Tatiana shook off Marta and shook her hand off. “I’m not going to marry the other Gundam Pilots! Ames said that Heero would make you do this!”

“Do what?” Wufei shook his head, “Try to get you to go to bed to sleep off this—“

“I’m not drunk! You don’t care!” Tatiana’s bright eyes welled up, and she sniffed wetly. “Ames said—“

“Amadeus put tracking software on Maxwell’s phone. I don’t think he’s a reliable—“

“You have to choose!” Tatiana stamped her foot. “I’m not going to marry them; you’re going to marry me! And when you marry me, we’re going to get away from all of them!”

Wufei threw his hands up in frustration, “You’ve met Yuy a couple of times, you’ve not even had the chance to meet Winner or Barton again since last year; you don’t even know Maxwell.” He shook his head, his expression incredulous. “Anyone would think you were going to ask me to leave my family.” 

“I am.”

He froze.

Marta raised her hand in warning, “Tatiana—“

“No.” Tatiana wobbled, “I am asking. Your family? You never see them, you always drop everything if any one of them asks you… but you want to marry me! Well, this is the true test then. If you want to marry me, you have to request a new partner and a transfer out! I don’t want you to be—“

Marta grabbed her arms and shook her. “Tatiana, it’s not that easy!” She shook head sternly. “You know it’s not that easy, don’t put Wufei in this difficult position.”

“It’s not difficult! He needs to show me he loves me!”

Wufei blinked, suddenly understanding why Marta had wanted him to pack a bag and just go. He raised a hand wearily to his face, closing his eyes for a moment. He breathed and then looked at his drunken girlfriend. “I don’t know what… No.” He nodded and looked at her directly, “I do love you. I don’t need to cut off friends to demonstrate that. I would never ask you to leave your sisters. Don’t ask me to leave my brothers.” 

Marta only winced as Tatiana let out a fresh wail and stormed out of the room. Marta sighed, “You could just—“

“Lie?” Wufei snapped, and then immediately reigned in his temper. “No. I’m not going to lie to the woman I’m supposed to be marrying.” 

Tatiana’s wails were very loud and Marta looked up. “Then I don’t think she’s the only one demanding a choice.” 

Wufei looked away for a moment, looking around the living room he shared with Tatiana. It was her apartment. He’d moved in. There was so little here that was his. His eyes lingered on the small photo he had propped against the wall. One of Dorothy’s daft photographs from the end of the war, the pilots and Relena all dressed up. Duo was making the most ridiculous face while Heero stood making the pose he thought was a formal look. He shook his head slightly, his eyes welling. Pursing his lips, he took a moment to breath before looking at Marta. “What would you do?”

Marta’s smile was bitter but kind. “I like you. You would make a good husband.” She sighed, putting a hand on her hip and gesturing up. “She thinks that your whole world should shrink and revolve around her, and that’s… just not how the world works.” She looked away for a moment, shaking her head sadly. “She doesn’t realise what she is asking isn’t fair. I’ll stay here tonight.” She pulled out her phone, and checked the time. “I asked Sally if you could stay with her.” 

“You really didn’t think we could talk it out.” Wufei realised sadly. 

“No. Tatiana is not in a…” Somewhat frustrated, she searched for the right word. “… state where you can say she will back down.” Marta shrugged, “Do you really want to have to tell her that she cannot have what she wants, when she’s like this?”

Wufei gave it a thought. Shaking his head he walked passed Marta, and reached into the cupboard under the stairs. He pulled out a small bag, and slung it over his shoulder with his work bag. Marta looked equal parts appalled and bemused. “You were ready?”

“No. I’m always ready.” He frowned slightly, motioning the second bag. “It’s … a habit from the war.” He glanced at the front door, seeing Sally’s car pulling up just outside. “I suppose … talking to her right now is a bad idea.” 

“Yes. It would be.” Marta stepped forward and gave him a hard hug. “Go, eat, and maybe think about why you want to marry her.” 

Wufei bit a lip and hugged her back. “She knows I love her, but…” he swallowed hard, holding her to hide his face, “They’re my only family…everyone else is dead.”

“Shh. She’ll forget it in the morning.” Marta pulled back and clapped her thin hands on his cheeks. “Go. Eat something.” 

“Thank you, Marta.” Wufei paused as if he was going to say something else, but a fresh round of forced wails began. He glanced at Marta who rolled her eyes as she stomped up the stairs. Wufei paused to fill the cat’s bowl with food and fresh water. As he stepped out of the apartment, he took a moment to look down the street. Sally was crouched by Pumpkin, scratching the cat’s head fondly. The damp cat meowed pathetically. Sally cooed at the cat before standing. She was still in her uniform. He walked up to her and waited for her to look up. Sally straightened and reached out to pull him into a hug. He sighed, giving up. “Thanks.”

“Don’t mention it.” Sally replied, squeezing him a little harder. “I’m always going to be here for you. That’s what aunties are for.”

Wufei felt his throat tightened as he muttered, “You’re not my auntie.” He pulled back and nodded to her again. He shifted his bags awkwardly into one hand, and looked down the road for her car. He glanced down at Pumpkin and – changing his mind - knelt to quickly gather up the cat. He stood, cradling his cat in his coat. The poor animal shivered and pressed against his shirt for warmth. He felt Sally turn with him, pressing a kindly hand against his back. 

“WUFEI!” He heard Tatiana call out, and felt Sally push him slightly. Not enough to move him, but enough to remind him she was there. He nodded slightly to Sally and took a step forward. 

“Marta said she was drunk.” Sally said, her voice low. “She thought it would probably be a good idea to get you out before—“

“I know.” Wufei walked around the car to get into the passenger seat. He put his bags in the backseats. “Tatiana and I…” He glanced back sadly, “We both have choices to make.” 

Sally got in and started her car. 

* * *

_I'm sorry, 2 AM photos with smileys and hearts_

_Ain't the way to my juicy parts_

_Boy, thank me later, looks good on paper_

_But love isn't easy, so I'll do the hardest part_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much, the response to this has been remarkable and I'm in awe of some of the comments. Thank you so much, please let me know what you think!


	6. But you about to need a prayer from a preacher

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Notes: Relationships are hard work.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: hahahahahahaha… I'm so old. You know the score.
> 
> Song: Nicki Minja & Anuel Aa (feat. Bantu) – Familia

_Father, father, unforgivable_

_This is my house, you made it personal_

_It's always trouble when they go too far_

_Nobody mention my familia_

* * *

**Your Body's Poetry**

**By Dr Megalomania**

* * *

_Father, father, could you bless his soul?_

_He talking crazy, I may lose control_

_It's always trouble when they go too far_

_Nobody mention my familia_

* * *

**Chapter 5: But you about to need a prayer from a preacher**

* * *

Sally chuckled as she caught Wufei yawning again. "Sorry to get you up and out so early."

Wufei shook off his yawn and waved, "It's fine." He glanced around; Preventers Headquarters looked like a different place virtually empty. "Do you always arrive so early?"

"I like the buns at the café when they're freshly baked." Sally laughed, shrugging. "My team do their best administrative work in the morning. Medical don't tend to stay late unless Active have boo-boos." She jabbed him with her elbow, "So did you get any sleep?"

"Your sofa is not the most comfortable, but it was strange to realise how…" He paused, bemused, "Easy it was to get used to again."

"Mi sofa es su sofa." Sally smiled, "You can however treat me to a cinnamon bun."

"Can I now?" Wufei laughed, "Sure. Sounds about right." He checked his phone. "Heero should be hitting the showers in the gym by now. I'll buy him a coffee too. I might be borrowing his spare room for a few days."

"Tatiana does like to hold that fucking grudge. Pumpkin can stay with me." Sally winced; she bit her lip and made a very familiar sucking sound. She then hummed obviously.

Wufei sighed, knowing what she was thinking. "Go on."

Sally pressed a hand against her chest, "Not to go all Catherine Bloom up in your face…" She stopped and reached out to hold him by both arms. She drew a deep breath, "But son—"

"I'm not your son. You are four years older than me."

"- I did not raise you –"

"You were my legal guardian for six months."

"- So you could break your back being this bitch's footstool. Now I know, child of mine—"

"About this whole thing—"

"Shh, shh, shh! Don't interrupt me." – She put a finger on his lips – "I'm not going to stand by and let this happen to you. As your older sister—"

Wufei pulled her finger off his lips. "I have never thought of you as a sister."

"I don't want to see you get hurt like this. She doesn't deserve you."

"She doesn't think I'm boring."

Sally stopped for a moment, sadness in her eyes. "You… don't need to give up everything that makes you… _you_…just because she doesn't think you're boring." She shook her head, "Wufei, she's asking you to give up everyone you consider family." She pressed a hand against her chest, "While I might not be your sister, I definitely know that as your aunt—"

"You're not my aunt either!"

"- I think you should listen to my advice. It's the cold light of day now, you've slept, you've eaten. Can you seriously tell me that her demand makes more sense now?"

He stared at her for a long time before shaking his head slowly. He was just opening his mouth to say something when a purple haired woman bounded up to him and slapped him hard on the back. Sally took a step back, hand going to her gun, other hand held out in a stopping motion. When Wufei did not throw the woman over his shoulder and pin her to the ground, Sally stared open mouthed and shocked.

"Fuck you, Hasigawa!" Wufei cursed tiredly as he looked at the woman behind him.

The woman smiled snidely, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear. "Morning Chang, notice you didn't park in my space today… Not that you coulda." She raised her hand, inspecting intensely pink nails. "Unrelated to your petty asshole tactics, I had to get in a bit earlier."

"Oh good," Wufei rolled his eyes, he turned to Sally. He gestured Hasigawa loosely, "This is an idiot from cyber crimes."

Sally looked at Wufei, Hasigawa waited patiently for Wufei to finish the sentence. Clearly, when he calmly stared at Sally, knowing he had deliberately left them at a conversational impasse, Hasigawa rolled her eyes dramatically. "Asshole." She stuck her hand out, "Toshiriko Hasigawa. Riko. Everyone calls me Riko, except for this pompous asshole from Active."

Very amused now, Sally reached out and shook the other woman's hand firmly. "Sally Po, I'm his—"

"Sister." Wufei said quickly, folding his arms to glare imperiously at Hasigawa.

Hasigawa snorted. "Yeah? You don't even look alike."

"Racist." Wufei cocked his head, slowly smirking when Hasigawa blanched.

Sally chuckled softly as she realised that the other woman didn't have a comeback for that. Hasigawa shook her head and patted her pockets.

"Ugh. Seriously? Look my wallet is on my desk, can I owe…" She frowned and glanced at Sally, "Wait, seriously?"

Sally blinked and started to say something when she caught sight of Wufei's superior grin. She quickly realised he was baiting both of them. "You smug shit." She glanced at Hasigawa, pointing at Wufei. "Look, we have a thing where he doesn't like calling me his relation, and I refer to myself as related to him. Does that make sense?"

"About as much sense as the thing where we owe each other a credit if we manage to catch the other out." She cocked her head towards Wufei, "You're such an unrelenting dick."

"You make it so easy though." Wufei said, as if he pitied her. He glanced at Sally, "Let's get that bun, shall we? Café should be opening up soon."

Hasigawa rolled her eyes and shook her head at Sally. Sally laughed, jerking her thumb, "Coffee?"

The purple haired woman started walking backwards towards the café, "Would that irk you, Chang?"

"Yes."

"Oh, then, hell yeah." Hasigawa winked at Sally, "I was just thinking, I better get some coffee. Need something to wake me up."

"From the nightmare?" Wufei snarked after her, striding forward, "No amount of coffee is going to fix that, you are the nightmare."

Hasigawa raised her hands in a shrug, "Can't be a nightmare, Chang." Her voice turned unexpectedly soft and she looked away as if embarrassed. "You're here."

He paused at the unexpected compliment. Hasigawa smirked and held up both of her middle fingers. Sally snorted as she noticed that both fingers had off-centred stars on the nails.

"It's hell, Chang." Hasigawa leant forward, "Because you're here."

As Hasigawa walked off, Sally leant into Wufei, "I like her. I'm gonna adopt her too."

"If you came to the pub on Fridays, you'd swiftly realise you hate her. Stop being weird!" He made an impatient noise. "Come on, before she orders the wrong thing to spite me." As he was crossing the vast reception hall of the Preventers' headquarters to get to the small café, he checked his phone and noticed a missed call from Marta. He paused, dialling and signalled to Sally to go ahead. "Good morning, did you try to call me, Marta?"

Marta sounded slightly breathless, "Have you heard from Tatiana?"

He frowned, "No. Why?"

Marta cursed, "She left this morning while I was sleeping! Your car!" Marta swallowed deeply, "I'm sorry, she's…God, I'm so sorry, she destroyed it…"

He blinked, "She what?"

"She slashed the tires and broke the windscreens." Marta shook her head, "I thought she'd gone to bed…"

Wufei closed his eyes, raising a hand to pinch his nose. "Well…" He took a deep breath, "I'll speak to… um." He swallowed, trying to keep a handle on his turbulent emotions, "I'll speak to the local law enforcement… I won't press—"

"Wufei!" Marta almost shouted, "She's damaged your possessions!"

"They're just things…"

"I can't believe this! Is Sally with you?"

He glanced over to the café, where Sally sat with Hasigawa, they were laughing. "Yes."

"God preserve you." Marta sounded grateful, "I'm on my way into work. She's not at work; I've just spoken to them. Perhaps someone in cyber-crimes can give us a hand in tracking her phone; a few of them owe me a favour…"

Wufei smiled grimly, "I can see Hasigawa." He squared his shoulders. "I'll ask her to help us now."

* * *

Duo was carefully putting his slouch hat back on as they exited the gym, Heero had watched him braid his hair into a simple and effective style that fit under his perpetual slouch hat. Remembering the days when Duo had simply braided his hair and let it fall down his back, Heero was left wondering why Duo now chose to wear his hair up. It wasn't as if long hair wasn't permitted, it was simply advised against leaving it completely loose in the working environment.

Duo glanced over his shoulder, "We probably have enough time for a coffee if you'd like to stop for one?" He patted his stomach as he briefly turned to walk backwards, "I didn't stop for my usual coffee."

"I certainly have time," Heero chuckled, shaking his head, "Though you really ought to eat something as well. If you're going to work out so hard, you know you have to-"

"Yeah, well some of us sleep normal hours, Yuy." Duo jerked his thumb towards the parking complex, "I'll meet you at the cafe, just gonna dump my gym bag."

Heero stuck his hands in his pockets, his own compact gym bag slung over his shoulder. "I can walk with you."

"Sure." Duo yawned and shifted his gym hold-all higher on his shoulder. "Man, it was intense watching you lift that... I mean, like are you sure your weight training has been - what did you say - lacking?"

"Yes, I can normally lift more." Heero ducked his head, feeling a slight blush on his cheeks at Duo's praise. "I'm sure I can work my way back—"

"To being able to deadlift a bus, sure, superman!" Duo laughed and shook his head. They took the lift down.

Heero blinked as his phone started ringing. Pulling it out, he could see it was Wufei. He answered it.

"Where are you?" Wufei's voice was curt, and it stilled something in Heero.

"Headquarters parking complex."

"With Maxwell?"

"Yes."

"Hold position."

"We're in a lift." Heero glanced at Duo and clicked his fingers twice to get Duo's attention. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Duo's body snap into combat readiness, concern on his face.

"Level?"

Heero's eyes flicked up, "Coming out on sub4. Passing sub3 … now."

Wufei swore, and began shouting orders. When he came back to the phone, his voice was firm. "There are hostiles in your area. Four. Armed with basic weapons. Are you armed?"

"No." Heero glanced at Duo, who had begun to frown looking at his own phone. Duo tilted his phone towards Heero, and the screen showed that Duo's car alarm was going.

"Duo's car alarm is going." Heero relayed, he glanced up. "Lift doors will open in about 1 minute when we reach our destination. Details, Chang."

"Hostiles appear to be four drunken men, they are attacking Maxwell's car with bats and what appears to be a crowbar. There is a ..." Wufei's voice went very flat. "A civilian, she's live streaming it. I am deploying a team to meet you."

The lift doors dinged as they opened.

"Exiting lift."

"Understood." Wufei sounded like he was moving now. "See you in under three minutes."

Duo dropped his bag by the lift doors. His voice was low, "What's the situation?"

"Four hostiles, one civilian, attacking your car. Armed with bats."

"Lovely." Duo gestured in a familiar manner, and Heero followed his lead. Duo walked carefully towards his car. The rowdy group of people were laughing; the smell of spilt beer was pungent. Duo ducked beside a parked car and sighed. He looked at Heero as if ashamed. He closed his eyes for a moment, and mouthed. "Ames."

Heero nodded, his expression carefully blank. He quickly moved to get another look around Duo's car. He saw the civilian. Duo gave him a questioning look as he crouched back down. Heero made a motion with his phone as if filming with a mobile phone and mouthed, "Tatiana. Wufei's girlfriend."

"Oh shit." Duo winced; he seemed to think for a moment. "We could probably take them out."

"Backup is on its way."

"What if someone else comes before backup arrives?" Duo's expression was highly concerned, "Ames…" He paused, expression drawn in a way Heero didn't like.

Heero reached out to touch Duo's arm. It seemed to help Duo to make a decision. He watched as the fear drained out of Duo's face, and a familiar blank mask drew over Duo's face.

"Ames is likely armed." Duo mouthed pragmatically. "He will hurt someone, or get the rest of them hurt."

Heero simply nodded.

Duo gave an exaggerated sigh before making a series of hand gestures to Heero. Signals they hadn't used since the war. Sketching out a familiar ruse pre-empting a familiar pattern of attack. Heero nodded his understanding; slightly smirking at realisation he could so easily decode Duo. Without a backward glance, Duo fluidly stood and called out, "Hey, what do you think you're doing?"

Heero stared at Duo's hand, as it quickly signalled how many were approaching. He got up and went into motion, just as Duo neatly spun around the one coming at him with the bar. Heero grabbed the bar as it swung down, pulling the other man with it, and slammed his elbow into the side of his head. Fairly certain that one was incapacitated; he turned with the bar in hand. He assessed the situation quickly, Duo had three facing him. Heero moved towards one who stood with his back to him, one who was easily dispatched with a blow to the back of the knee with the crowbar. Duo took out another, using the other man's bat swing against him, crunching a sharp elbow into the man's face. From behind Duo's car, Tatiana screamed and cursed as Heero turned to face the final hostile.

The last hostile snarled at Heero, dropping his bat. "You fuckin' whor—"

Heero saw a glint of unexpected metal and he jabbed toward the man's throat, while Duo dropped and kicked out his legs. The man fell heavily to the ground, and Heero followed him down to secure him against the floor. He heard the clatter of skittering metal as Duo kicked the knife away, and was relieved to hear Wufei commanding everyone to drop to the ground.

* * *

Wufei took a moment to quietly speak to Tatiana. Whatever he had said left her wailing after him as he turned on her impassively and walked away, typing away on his phone. He dialled a number and walked towards Heero and Duo. Duo was crouched down by his car, looking closely at a dent. Arms folded, Heero was leaning against the car, he tilted his head as Wufei came to a stop when his call was answered.

"Une." Wufei said shortly, "Yes. I'm with them now. They appear fine." He stared ahead, his expression carefully blank. "I respectfully request the rest of the day off as well, general."

Heero frowned; Wufei was not normally shaken by action. Yet, tears pooled in Wufei's dark eyes as he stared determinedly ahead. Heero watched him swallow hard, and dropped a hand to attract Duo's attention. Duo stood immediately, wordlessly looking at Wufei. Heero turned his gaze towards the group being led away, focusing specifically on Tatiana. He stepped away from the car, and moved to block Wufei from her sight.

Wufei sighed, "I'm requesting it because I need to move out of my ex-girlfriend's flat before she destroys more of my belongings. You've seen what she encouraged of Maxwell's former partner and I understand she's already wrecked my car. Yes." He paused, taking a breath. "Thank you. I will let them know."

Heero frowned and turned back to Wufei. "Are you-?"

"Not now." Wufei bit out. He looked at Duo, "Une says she will arrange a meeting with you later. I had hoped to do this over coffee."

Duo pursed his lips together, "Me too. I'm so—" Wufei cut him off by throwing his arms around Duo's neck.

"Shut up, Maxwell." Wufei muttered, "I'm just glad you're okay."

Wrapping his arms around Wufei, Duo closed his eyes and just rocked in the hug with Wufei. "Thanks man." He pulled out of the hug slightly to look at Wufei. "So, Une giving you compassionate leave?"

"Sure. Gives me enough time to rescue my games console." Wufei raised a hand to pinch his nose, "You'd think her sister and fiancée working in law enforcement would give her some concept of …" He shook his head, "It doesn't matter now."

Duo clapped a hand on Wufei's shoulder, "What did you do for her to want to total your car?"

"Taking Yuy's side of the argument apparently. That was enough." Wufei rolled his shoulders, and looked at Heero. "You and Maxwell have today off for compassionate reasons."

"I'm fine," Heero replied, confusion in his voice.

"Yes, well, most normal people would likely need a day or two to understand they'd almost been set upon by a drunken gang." Wufei shrugged, "Besides, if you're fine, maybe you can help me move my belongings out of Tatiana's flat." Wufei started walking away, "Po will drive us to yours to pick up your car. I reckon I've only got two cars' worth of things." He glanced at Heero, "Can I borrow your spare room?"

"Sure." Heero nodded, "We can make a couple of trips if necessary."

"Can I help?" Duo asked as he followed them. He bumped into Wufei when the other man stopped abruptly.

Wufei turned to him, frowning. "Why wouldn't you be helping?"

"I mean..." Duo smiled awkwardly, "We haven't seen each other for—"

"Like that matters." Wufei waved a hand at him impatiently, and walked off. He called over his shoulder, "Why are you dating a pathetic fool?"

Adjusting his bag, Duo blinked at that and started after him. The look that crossed his face threw Heero back in time as Duo threw his hands up and petulantly argued back. "Why you dating an idiot?"

Heero rolled his shoulders, feeling the odd tension he'd been feeling drain away. He smiled sadly as he followed them. It seemed no matter how long they were apart, some things would never change.

* * *

Wufei crouched down as the small white cat mewed plaintively. He had only ever really moved in a few personal items. He ran his hand over the cat's head and contemplated it. After its traumatic night, Sally had kept it at hers. She'd brought it over with her after taking one load of his things. Heero walked back into the apartment and took one more look around. "I think we've gotten everything you've asked us to take."

"Uh huh."

Heero crouched down with him. "It's your cat." He reminded Wufei quietly.

"I don't have a place yet." Wufei said, his voice quiet.

"You're staying at mine." Heero replied, "You can keep your cat."

Wufei straightened, taking a moment to dab his eyes on his sleeve. "You—"

"I will put up with your cat. You can clean up after it."

Wufei looked oddly grateful. He picked up the cat, and held it close. "Come, Pumpkin. Let's get your things."

Heero walked out of the apartment and down the stairs to speak to Duo. Duo looked like he was about to speak, when his phone began ringing. He stared at the screen for a moment, and held it up to show Heero. The number was an unknown number calling from off-planet. Heero tilted his head, "That's coming from L4?"

Duo shrugged and answered the phone. "Hello?" His strangely-coloured eyes widened. "Trowa?!"

Heero's eyebrows shot up with surprise. Duo blinked and listened carefully, before holding up a hand, waving it even though Trowa couldn't see him. "Whoa, whoa. No, no, I'm fine, I know Hilde's been… Heero's okay too. Yeah? No. No! We're okay. No, yes, I'm pressing- Quatre's what? No, I don't need—" He listened for a moment, swallowing thickly. "Man, I was... no, I'm fine, just... yeah, no. I'm ..." He dropped his head forward, and raised a hand to wipe at his eyes under his glasses. Heero stepped forward, carefully pulling Duo's glasses off. He was surprised as Duo's face crumpled slightly, and he reached forward to hug Heero. "No, I'm fine. I'm with Heero and Wufei. No, I'm just... I'm okay. Happy! This is happy crying!" Heero closed his eyes and held Duo, rocking back and forward. He felt Duo pull away slightly, and he took Duo's phone as the other man clapped a hand over his mouth, shaking his head.

"Hello?"

"Heero." Trowa's smooth voice was filled with concern. "Is Duo okay?"

Heero glanced at Duo who was standing leaning against Heero's car, his head hanging down. Heero glanced at the glasses in his hand. "Yes. He's had a shock today. Whatever you told him has moved him."

"I told him that we're coming."

Heero blinked, momentarily speechless.

"Did you hear me?"

"Yes."

"Quatre's booking flights now. I asked if Duo was safe in his home. We can arrange a safe location."

"No need. Duo's former lover has been arrested, along with his friends."

"We saw. How about Wufei? I understand the woman who livestreamed it was his—"

"Former girlfriend. Wufei will be moving in with me."

"Good." Trowa sighed, his voice lighter with clear relief. He paused and then admitted in a quiet voice, "Even though we knew you'd be fine, I'm not afraid to admit that watching the video was a little frightening. I think perhaps the way we always say we should meet up—"

"But we never do." Heero nodded, understanding what Trowa meant.

Trowa's voice was fond, "It was sufficient to motivate Quatre to make time. We should be earth side in a couple of days. Stay safe. If any of you need anything, please call me back."

"Of course." Heero dug his phone out, quickly thumbing through the contacts list to find Trowa's contact card. "You have my contact still?"

"Yes." Trowa paused, "I don't know if I have the right one for Wufei. He hasn't returned my call."

"I'll send it on to you." Heero blinked, "Duo doesn't have your number programmed on this phone."

Trowa's voice was matter-of-fact, "Yes. I believe he has a new number but forgot to send it on to us. So… well, we both know Quatre is terrifying when you threaten his family. We'll see you soon."

* * *

_Mmm, nobody pop off, nobody get murked_

_Nobody scream, it'll prolly get worse_

_Now I'm the curse, this is my terse_

_Before I kill 'em, I'ma torture them first_

_Mad, you keep, así yo soy bonita_

_But you about to need a prayer from a preacher_

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ... Yeah, it's been a while. I foolishly took on too many things at the same time and had to take a break from posting. Uh, my tumblr is where you can find updates and poke me. Look for doctormegalmania. Thank you for bearing with me, normal service should resume... uh [side eyes nanowrimo] ... soon.


	7. So lost, the line had been crossed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Relationships are hard but getting back into the swing of normal life is harder.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: hahahahahahaha… I’m so old. You know the score.   
Notes: Relationships are hard work.  
Song: Sia – Bird Set Free

_Clipped wings, I was a broken thing_

_Had a voice, had a voice but I could not sing_

_You would wind me down_

_I struggled on the ground, oh_

_So lost, the line had been crossed_

_Had a voice, had a voice but I could not talk_

_You held me down_

_I struggle to fly now, oh_

* * *

**Your Body’s Poetry**

**By Dr Megalomania**

* * *

_Yes, there's a scream inside that we all try to hide_

_We hold on so tight, but I don't wanna die, no_

_I don't wanna die, I don't wanna die, yeah_

* * *

**Chapter 6: So lost, the line had been crossed**

* * *

Wufei spent his lunch in the cafe. Sally was supposed to meet him but she'd gotten a last minute call. It was no matter, but it would have been nice to see her. He'd skipped his break to generate a slightly longer lunch break. The sandwich from the cafe was very good, his coffee more so. The hard rain outside was providing some excellent white noise. His book was just interesting enough to keep his attention away from the gossiping admin staff a couple of tables over. They were whispering about him not-too-subtly. He felt his temper rise. Wufei really just wanted to read his book and not have to be a subject of fascination.

"Poor Marta...!"

He glanced up at the name. Marta had been on administrative leave, she was due back any day soon. It had been her security credentials that Tatiana had used to gain entry to the car park. He stared at his sandwich, it was really good, but was it good enough to keep him here? He could always eat it at his desk while working. He took another sip of his coffee, and began packing up.

“Oh. Good, we can talk about the case.”

Wufei looked up as Hasigawa - uninvited - slammed down her tray and sat next to him. Wufei frowned, “Actually, I was just about to—“

Hasigawa crossed her legs, accidentally kicking him in the process and gestured widely. “So, I hear you're heartbroken.” She turned to look at the gossiping table of admin, “Maybe you can tell me all about it nice and loudly so we ALL can maybe go back to work.”

“Wha--?” Wufei blinked and then had to stifle a laugh when the two admin both stiffened and scarpered. He watched them walk away before turning his attention back to Hasigawa, she acted like she didn't notice. “Uh. Thanks.”

Hasigawa took a savage bite of her Panini and shrugged. “So, are you?”

“What?”

“Heartbroken to the point of no return, and are you going to quit?”

“Really, is that what the rumour is?”

“Apparently.” She shifted again, accidentally kicking him again. He glanced down, and then shifted to give her a bit more space. She gave a harsh snort, “Apparently you're going to quit the Preventers because you cannot bear to be seen.”

“Uh huh.” Wufei deadpanned, “That's fascinating. I imagine you got quite excited.”

“Nah, I know you.” She rolled her eyes, “You're one of those duty bound ones, your broken heart is just going to be part of your tragic backstory.” Hasigawa sipped her drink, “You won't quit, but you're going to be looking on forlornly all the time.”

“Really.”

“Uh huh.”

“Hmm. You mentioned wanting to talk about the case.”

“Sure.” Hasigawa wiped her fingers and pulled a tablet out of her bag. She lay the tablet down on the table beside her food. “I emailed you the essentials, but basically, I think we have a potential cross over in our cases - even further than the financial link I found last time... and we should probably compare case notes if you're not too busy bailing your girlfriend out of jail.”

“She's not my girlfriend anymore.”

“Oh the storyline twists; I heard you were going to break her out of jail for the sake of love.”

“She made her own choices. So, about the case…?”

“Oh.” It seemed to genuinely surprise Hasigawa. “So, like ... you're actually breaking up with her?”

“Yes.”

“But …” 

Wufei was sure he was imagining the droop in her shoulders. He definitely imagined the flutter in her eyelashes as she looked at him plaintively.

“What about Friday nights?”

He tilted his head in confusion, “What about them?”

“What am I going to do for my weekly entertainment? Me and Loris had a pool going on how drunk she could get and how many different departments you'd need to apologise to on her behalf.”

“You have a pool?”

“Look, you've never broken out of the five departments minimum to participate.” Hasigawa tucked a lock of purple hair behind a pierced ear. “I reckon with a bit of time and patience—“

Wufei raised a hand to pinch his nose, “Shut up, Hasigawa.”

“She hated Preventers, and Six-Shot-Krakowski-Minor was not afraid to let anyone know it.”

“Six-shot...” Wufei repeated before shaking his head, “No. You will not be seeing her at the pub.”

“How about you?”

“What about me?”

Hasigawa rolled her eyes dramatically, “Are you going to go to the pub on Friday?”

“Don't see why I should.”

“Well,” Hasigawa took another bite and chewed thoughtfully, “I suppose I don't need to buy you any rounds. I mean, I'm glad to have my slate cleaned, so nice going, Chang.”

He rolled his eyes, “You still owe me two drinks.”

“Nah.”

Wufei frowned, “You're buying me those drinks.”

“Don't see why I should.” She finished her food and turned her attention to her tablet, “Now about this—“

“No, you owe me drinks.” He jabbed the table with his index finger. 

“I owed.” She wagged a finger at him, “You're the one not coming out on Friday. I specifically remember agreeing to buy you drinks at the pub. No you, No Pub, No Friday.” She raised her hands to wiggle her fingers irritatingly as she sang, “I'm in the clear.”

Wufei rolled his eyes, “So basically, I've got to go out on pub night to collect on my drinks?”

“I agreed to buy you drinks at the pub. No pub, no drinks.”

“You're anal, Hasigawa.”

She spread her hands generously. “You could just not collect.” She placed a sincere hand on her chest, “I’d be okay with that.”

“You could offer me a drink at another establishment.”

That caught her for a moment and he saw her make a small calculation in her head. She smirked at him. “Don't see why I should.”

“Fine. Two drinks, this week at the pub.”

He took distinct pleasure in the way her eyes narrowed as she spat, “You’re bloody minded.” 

Wufei leaned forward on folded arms, smirking. “It’s what you bring out in me, Hasigawa.”

“Ugh.” 

Wufei laughed outright as Hasigawa sat back in her seat defeated. He didn’t even mind when she somehow managed to kick him again. 

* * *

Duo stared out across the river, his attention caught on the rain. His small balcony afforded him cover from it but also allowed him to sit outside, with his steaming cup. Behind him, he could hear Quatre pacing impatiently back and forth in the living room; his conference call was taking longer than he thought. In front of him, Trowa was curled on the other seat, flat green eyes distant as he drank his own steaming drink. He seemed very content with sitting quietly. With Trowa, silence was never uncomfortable. Duo could remember days after the war, when he was filled with nervous energy and Trowa seemed to be the absolute negative of him. He pulled his attention away from the hard rain, and glanced over at Trowa. 

They hadn’t even bothered to stop at the hotel before they came over. Their bags were in their rented car, and they had simply arrived. Duo had opened the door and the loving concern on their faces made him fall apart, Ames had tried to take them from him. He’d almost let Ames take all of this away. 

Trowa seemed to sense him looking, blinked and turned his attention to Duo. His head tilted slightly. 

Duo felt his lips quiver with apologies. 

Trowa shook his head once, concern in his eyes. 

Duo nodded and resumed looking out across the water. 

He blinked when he felt Trowa's warm hand on his knee. Trowa was leaning forward, with supernatural grace, balanced just so. His flat green eyes were keen. “You have nothing to apologise for.” Trowa said firmly, his voice low. “We are going to be better at keeping in contact.” He frowned, his gaze dropping for a moment before he looked up with renewed determination. “You will never be lost like that again.”

Duo felt the tension in shoulders seep away and he reached out to link fingers with Trowa. “I'm sorry, I shoulda...” He shook his head, trying not to let his eyes well up. “I shoulda asked for help... I...” his throat was tight. “I just thought he was ... the best I could do.” He glanced into the living room, Quatre was gesturing widely with his free hand. Duo sighed, “I didn't want to be alone...” 

Trowa shuffled forward, putting his drink down. He held out his hands, smiling slightly as Duo took them. He rubbed his thumbs over Duo's hands. “Are you ready to talk?”

Duo stared at their hands, watching as Trowa's tanned thumbs stroked over his own hands. His own hands looked gaunt in comparison. He breathed out, swallowed and nodded. 

“I met Ames just over two years ago. He didn't seem like he cared that I was a Gundam pilot...” He glanced up at Trowa, “It was refreshing... Here was someone who didn’t need me to be a Gundam Pilot all the damned time…”

Duo looked down; a frown flitted over his forehead. 

“It was nice to meet someone who wasn't... overwhelmed with gratitude and wasn't there. I could just be... not a hero. He didn't know, he didn't care.” Duo swallowed, “Or at least it felt like it at first. I always thought he just didn't care, but sometimes it was irritating for him when I was recognised in public.” 

Trowa simply stroked his hands. 

“I started wearing my glasses out all the time, got a hat to hide my hair. That made him a little happier, and I lived for those moments.” Duo looked at Trowa earnestly, “I lived for making him happy. When he was happy...” Duo swallowed, “I can't explain it. He was just this amazing person. It was my fault when he was sad or angry—“

He paused as a look of concern passed over Trowa's face. He felt a stab of irrational guilt, wanting to reassure Trowa. 

“He never hurt me!”

“They never have to lay a finger on you to harm you.” Trowa replied evenly. “Ames knew who you were, in entering into a relationship; he was acknowledging he was with you.” 

“But I coulda done—“

“You changed your appearance for him. What more did he want you to do?”

Duo swallowed reflexively. He held Trowa's steady green gaze until he couldn't. He looked away, taking refuge in the river water. Calmer for watching the deep blue, he nodded. “I know.” 

“Emotional abuse can be subtle.” Trowa squeezed his hands gently. “It seeps in, until it chokes you and you'll welcome it.” 

“I just wanted to be happy, you know... settle down with someone.” Duo stared at the way Trowa's thumb circled over his hands, reassuring but unrelenting. Duo was conscious his hands were thin. He wondered why Trowa held on. He glanced up meeting Trowa's patient expression. “I wanted to be with someone... You and Quatre are so happy. I wanted something like that for me. For Helen's sake. She wouldn't want me lonely.” 

“Helen?”

“My ... She was a sister at the church where I grew up for a while. She...” Duo paused, closing his eyes for a moment. Helen was less a clear image in his mind, and more a bundle of feelings, thoughts and smells. “She was all but my biological mom. The closest damn person I'd ever have. She'd probably want me to settle down and have a bunch of kids, but she'd take me with someone who didn't make me lonely.” 

Duo paused for a long moment, feeling his throat close. He shifted, pulling his hands out of Trowa's and pulled a knee up to sit back. He stared at the falling rain, at the wide river. Even though it calmed him before, it couldn't quite stifle the dawning rage that bubbled in him now. 

“Ironic, really.” Duo tried not to spit the words. “’Cause when he tried to tell me not to see Heero, I didn't realise how lonely I was until that goddamn moment. It was like I was suddenly shot. He was going to take you all away really. That's the moment I understood. He'd gotten me to stop talking to Hilde so easily, he'd made it easy to not call you and Quatre back when I changed my number ... but then he tried to stop me from talking to Heero.” Duo clenched his jaw, feeling his chest tighten. “It just made it all so... fucking clear. He was going to take you all away, and leave me depending on just him.” He snorted harshly, “I'm so fucking stupid!”

A warm hand rested on his shoulder, a feeling of calm blossomed from where the hand rested. Duo looked first at Trowa; realised Trowa was sitting back and turned his head. 

Quatre stood, pale blue eyes serene. His hand rested on Duo's shoulder. He stared down at Duo, his expression concerned. He glanced at Trowa, who nodded. 

Quatre looked back at Duo. “We aren't as happy as you think...” Quatre admitted, “We've had our ups and downs. The trials of a sincere lack of experience, but we are learning together.” 

He took a breath, reaching up to brush a lock of Duo's hair from his fringe. 

“Don't call yourself stupid. Forgive yourself, Duo, and perhaps you can forgive us.” 

“Forgive you?”

“We should have looked out for you more. We're family. When I realised how long it had been since I last checked in with you, I was ashamed.” 

“It's okay—“

“It's not.” Trowa said quietly, sitting forward and resting a hand on Duo's knee. “We're a strange family.” His lips quirked, tossing a quick glance at Quatre, “But Quatre's right, our lack of experience is a trial. We didn't learn from when Heero went missing. For that, I'm sorry.” 

“I'm sorry too.” Quatre added, “I'm sorry you've been alone with this ...” Quatre's lips paled as he pressed them together before spitting. “Ames.” A ripple of rage passed over his face, as he spat. “Fucker.”

The hot rage Duo had felt against himself seemed to ebb away. It wasn't gone, but it recoiled at the realisation how badly they both felt. 

“Ames is …” Duo’s voice dropped to a whisper, “An asshole.” 

“Yes. That's a word for him.” Quatre shifted to sit on the arm of the chair Trowa was sitting on. Trowa glanced at the delicate way Quatre was sat, and Duo almost laughed at the quick calculating look Trowa gave before shifting his arm to pull Quatre over onto his lap. Quatre looked momentarily surprised before relaxing into the embrace Trowa had him in. Quatre glanced up at Trowa, “Thank you.”

“We both benefit.” Trowa's green eyes were warm looking down at Quatre. 

Duo glanced away for a moment, the moment too intimate for him. Ames hated it when Duo sat too close, at first Duo had always been too heavy, and then he had been too bony. A sigh escaped him. There was a long road ahead of him. 

“Ames?”

Duo blinked, snapping his head towards Quatre. 

Quatre's pale blue eyes were steady. “Are you thinking about Ames?”

“Yes.” Duo admitted, “He...”

“He's not here.” Quatre looped an arm around Trowa for balance, and reached out his other hand. Duo leaned forward to take it. A feeling of reassurance washed up from Quatre's hand. “Any time you need it... I'm going to remind you. He's not here.” 

Trowa nodded and understanding, “It will be difficult... but we want to help you.” He stared directly at Duo, “Ames can go fuck himself now.” 

That drew a started chuckle out of Quatre, “Trowa...”

“What?” Trowa's nose wrinkled, “It's true, the asshole can go shit on himself.”

“That's going to be somewhat difficult, love.” 

Duo stared at Quatre's hand; its grip was strong and warm. Duo felt a small smile tug at his lips; he looked at the pair of them. “Thank you.”

* * *

"So, apparently Maxwell's former beau is a bunny-boiler."

Zechs' voice was carefully bored, perfectly timed just as he was lining up his shot. Heero shot a further three times to make a point, making sure each shot was in a reasonably perfect line of bullet holes across the head. Securing his gun again, he took a step back from the range to level a look at Zechs, an eyebrow arched. "His ex is not what I call stable. What's your point?"

Zechs rolled his eyes, "You're no fun."

Heero raised a hand, his face scrunching up in confusion. He wasn’t quite sure why they’d called him out for target practice on the second day he was back at work. While Wufei had returned, Duo remained off. Heero rolled his eyes and checked his phone again, wondering if either Trowa or Quatre would update him. They should have arrived at Duo’s by now.

Noin laughed loudly, "You're supposed to give up all the juicy details." She explained to him, while lining up her own shot. "Did you really think Zechs asked you here to practice shooting?"

"Given how bad his aim is, I would have thought he was looking for help." Heero replied, broadly gesturing the targets. He made a show of leaning in to squint, "Is that a miss I see?" He made a deliberate sucking noise with his teeth. “Old age, finally catching up with you. So sad.”

"That would be a tactical misdirection." Zechs replied airily. "I always try to throw off my opponent."

"Uh huh." Heero reached out, and tried to sound as patronising as physically possible. “Whatever helps you sleep at night, Zechs.”

Making a face at him, Zechs secured his weapon and gestured Noin, "She needs more help."

Noin made clear with her following six shots that she needed no help. Heero simply tilted his head at Zechs who threw up his hands. "Lucky shots, every single one!"

"Oh, yes, dear." Noin replied, deadpanned. "Yes, indeed. Totally a fluke." She secured her weapon and pulled off her protective gear. "Let's get some coffee. I believe the old man here owes us a round." She slipped an arm around Heero conspiratorially. "And you can finally spill some beans."

"Why would I...?"

"Because you haven't told Relena yet, and Zechs is driving me potty." Noin tossed a hand in the air, "And besides, I want to know how close Wufei is to actually getting married!” She leaned forward, whispering loudly. “Rumour has it, he’s going to take her back!"

"You only talk to me when you want gossip." Heero made a face at Zechs. "You never want to fight to the death anymore."

"If you'd like to take this outside, I'd happily save the cost of a coffee." Zechs playfully sneered at him. "I saw the video, you were slow on the third opponent."

"I was not!"

Noin pushed them both toward the door, "How about we do this over coffee?" She clapped Heero on the shoulder. "But you were a little slow."

"First of all, how dare you." Heero held up a finger and then turned his attention to Zechs, "Second, I'd like to see you do better."

* * *

"The body isn't fresh." 

That was all the warning Heero got before they pulled back the blanket covering the corpse on the floor. He felt the coffee and pastry he’d eaten earlier with Noin and Zechs threaten to make a return. He took a moment to compose himself before he refocused on Conzec. The crime scene was quite controlled; there was evidence of a struggle and some evidence of an aborted attempt to clean up the scene. Streaks of dried blood were mangled with poorly attempted swipes of a rag that reeked of bleach. 

Heero stepped around carefully, checking each placement of his foot, trying not to disturb the scene too much. Wufei crouched down by the body, taking notes as Agent Conzec talked through the scene's forensic notes. The method of murder was unremarkable. Shots to the back of the head. The victim was remarkable. He was a high ranking Colony Apart member. The party had refused to report him missing; his family had turned to the Preventers in desperation. The Preventers, aiding local law enforcement, had finally tracked down his movements to a more extreme separatist group. A group that the Preventers had been tracking. A group who had some strange ties to Earth. Glass from the broken table crunched under Heero's foot as he crouched down to look at the smashed phone. The crime scene technician looked at him. "We're ready to take it for analysis now." 

Heero nodded, glancing over his shoulder at Wufei. Wufei now stood near Conzec and was consulting with the coroner. They were ready to take the body away from the scene as well. Heero straightened. Whatever this man had gotten himself into; he'd clearly been unprepared for the level of violence that had come from his association. Wufei walked carefully over to him, gesturing that they leave the room. As they exited the building, Heero felt relief that the sun above was still cheerfully warm, the sky still clear and blue. He took a moment to appreciate the sunshine, closing his eyes and breathing the fresher air.

"What do you think?" 

Heero opened his eyes and turned to look at Wufei. 

"I think that perhaps the Separatists are getting more frustrated with the Colony Apart movement." Heero gestured the coroner's van, "That strikes me as a group attack. A meeting that got out of hand perhaps, and the attempts to clean up a result of a disorganised set of killers suddenly realising they'd gone too far." 

Wufei nodded. "I see where you're coming from, but the rest of the scene is so controlled." He took a step back as he stepped away from the office block. "This building isn't exactly out of the way. The only reason nobody came across this scene sooner is because it's closed for renovations.Although I don't see evidence of people actually renovating anything." 

Heero frowned, "We'll need to check into the financial records of this place." 

Wufei nodded, "I agree. Locals are happy to take the main investigation into the murder, but are going to keep us in on the loop. I promised we'd feedback any information regarding our investigation into the separatists in case it had any bearing on the murder." 

"They didn't strike me as a particularly financially secure group - Colony Apart or the separatists. This..." Heero looked up at the building again. "Ensuring they had this space … This would take money."

"Hmm, yes." Wufei gave a long sigh, "Which would mean working with records again."

Heero nodded, and gestured toward the car. "Shall we just go get it over and done with?" 

Wufei stared into the distance, his expression grim. “I haven't spoken to Marta for a month.” He shook his head and got into the car with Heero.

Heero buckled himself in, “We could always see—“

“No.” Wufei squared his shoulders, “It's time to get back to work.” He pursed his lips. “She's the finest analyst they have in records. If anyone can find us a data link, it will be Marta.” 

“All right.” Heero paused for a moment, thinking before he started the car. "Happy with leftovers tonight?" 

"Sure." Wufei replied absently, "Quatre's assistant has been in touch, I should be able to move into my new apartment within the next two weeks."

"Quatre really bought the apartment you liked?"

"You know what he's like. Won't take no for an answer when his guilt is running high." Wufei shook his head, "Really, you would have thought one of us nearly died." 

"Hmm."

"Hmm?" 

"I'm not so certain there wasn't a clear and present danger. The more I find out about Amadeus, the less I am certain that Duo wasn't in danger."

"Yes." Wufei put his phone down, "I looked into his background check--" he held up a hand, "Lecture me later about regulations, Hasigawa slipped me the file when I asked. Amadeus seems possessive. He's been warned twice about monitoring other personnel without consent."

“It just doesn't sound like Duo would choose someone like that.” Heero frowned, “He wouldn't allow—“

“Yuy.” Wufei was stern, “You cannot assume that Duo was fully conscious of his lover's past. Certainly, if I had known more about Tatiana's tendency to live stream criminal acts, I would have been more reluctant to start dating her. Do not judge Maxwell on this." 

“I...” Heero paused as he thought, “Yes. You're right. He couldn't have known unless it was disclosed to him directly. Still, I have concerns about what this may have done to him.” 

“We can be concerned, but Maxwell doesn't need judgement right now. He needs his friends to support him.”

* * *

_And I don't care if I sing off key_

_I find myself in my melodies_

_I sing for love, I sing for me_

_I shout it out like a bird set free_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not gonna lie, I've had a hard couple of months and writing is my outlet. I often feel like I'm just writing into the void and then one of you beautiful people deign to take a couple of moments to put your thoughts into writing. I've wept this week reading comments because you're amazing. Never forget the impact of that. Thank you so much for taking the time to read this.


	8. Breaking free from these memories

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Memories encroach and they need to let it go...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: hahahahahahaha… I’m so old. You know the score. 
> 
> Notes: Relationships are hard work.
> 
> Song: Avril Lavigne (feat. Chad Kroeger) - Let Me Go

_ I'm breaking free from these memories _

_ Gotta let it go, just let it go _

_ I've said goodbye _

_ Set it all on fire _

_ Gotta let it go, just let it go _

* * *

**Your Body’s Poetry**

**By Dr Megalomania**

* * *

_ Love that once hung on the wall _

_ Used to mean something, but now it means nothing _

_ The echoes are gone in the hall _

_ But I still remember, the pain of December _

* * *

#  Chapter 7: Breaking free from these memories

* * *

As the lift doors closed, Duo glanced at his phone. Heero had texted, asking if he’d like to meet for a quick coffee during his break. Smiling somewhat lopsidedly, Duo text back an affirmative and then set his phone to do-not-disturb mode before slipping it into his pocket. He adjusted his tie. It was his first day back at work. A week had passed, Trowa and Quatre had supported him all the while. Une had insisted on running his return to work meeting personally - a significant change from protocol, but he knew what Une was thinking. The suit and tie would help to calm her nerves. 

The lift doors opened at the command level and he stepped out, showing his badge at the reception. He was quickly ushered into a waiting area, while the receptionist – a nervous looking man – dipped his head into General Une’s office. He quickly returned. “She’s ready for you now, Agent Maxwell.”

Duo dipped his head and briefly touched the back of his hair, checking his braided hairstyle was neat, that there weren’t any hair pins sticking out. His hands had been shaking when he put his hair up for the first time that morning.

He walked into the office without knocking. Une’s office was a large suite, large windows, long desk, plush seats for diplomatic talks. She was standing by the window, arms folded as she stared out over the magnificent view of the park. He waited in front of his desk, waiting to be acknowledged.

There was a small sigh.

Duo blinked and looked at Une. She shook her head and walked over towards him. The years between them were finally starting to show. She looked up at him for a moment, before softly smacking the side of his head.

“You’ve destroyed battalions of men looking to crush you.” Une pursed her lips before leaning towards him, drawing him into a hard hug.

Duo almost didn’t know what to do with his hands.

“Hug me back, idiot.” Une snapped gently. “That’s what normal people who are basically relatives do.”

“I’m so confused.” Duo stared beyond her while hugging back. “How did we get from you wanting to televise my execution to here?”

Une leaned back to glare at him. Duo couldn’t help grinning at her. “What? Too soon?”

“Punk.”

“Mom.”

“Oh, stop it. I am not your mom.” Une made a face as she said the last word. She pulled away. “I looked into this incident, and into this Ames and I…” A glint appeared in her eye. “If I had known, I would have killed him myself.” She cupped her hand around his cheek. “Nobody hurts my favourite gundam pilot.”

“About that. You know how you hate being called mom…?” Duo rolled his eyes hard, “I was your ward for four months.”

“Nonsense.” Une smirked, “I’m your legal guardian for life.”

“Une…” He started warningly, but that only served to make her laugh.

“Oh good, you’re still in there, Zero-Two.” Une turned away and gestured her plush seats. A glass pot of tea steamed quietly near two mugs. “I should have checked in on you sooner.” She said, pouring a cup for him.

“I told you I was fine.” Duo sat down gingerly on the seat. “I thought I was.”

“Hmm.” She replied non-committedly. She stared at the surface of her tea for a long time before looking up. “You know what I told Captain Howard when I took your wardship from him?”

Duo shook his head. Howard’s death had been a hard time, it seemed so unfair for him to die so soon after the wars had ended. It was a shock when Lady Une had stood up in the courtroom, stating plainly she’d take over his wardship from the dying man. Duo hadn’t been given much choice; the pilots still, legally, considered children … despite working together to save the world twice. 

Une had saved Duo from enforced foster care, although there were days when he wondered if enforced foster care would have been much different. Une was not a … maternal woman.

“I promised him that I’d be the worst thing to happen to you.” She set her cup down and leaned forward. “And I was so caught up with work, I didn’t think to check this man out…” She gestured her desk, “And when Miss Schbeiker contacted me last month to confirm your status, I forgot to reply because of the Colony Apart demonstrations.” Une shook her head, “I’ve let Captain Howard and you down. I’m sorry, Duo.”

Duo shifted awkwardly, “I’m not sure I need an apology.”

“You’re getting one.”

Duo shook his head before sipping his drink. “Not really into giving me a choice?”

“Look where giving you unlimited freedom of choice got us both.” Une spread her hands, “So, dinner, next month.”

“No.”

“I’ll cook.”

“Definitely not!”

Une picked up her cup and sat back, “You recall that one time you broke your arm climbing?”

Knowing exactly what point she was going to make, Duo looked at a fixed point above her head. He was seventeen years old again. “Yes.”

“Then I’ll see you next month; Davin will work out the details for you.” Une sipped her drink. “I’ll look forward to catching up.”

“You really don’t have to.”

Une’s smile was cool. “I’m not accustomed to failing twice, Duo.”

Cupping his drink, Duo sat back, “I know.”

“I will also be vetting your next lover.”

“You will not.” Duo replied, his voice indignant, but unconvincing. “You’re not going to do anything of the sort.”

Une smiled indulgently. “Oh, my dear summer child.” She leaned forward, “What makes you think I haven’t already started?”

Duo rolled his eyes but couldn’t help laughing with her. “Okay, okay, apology accepted!”

* * *

Heero leaned over the railing, looking down at the floor below. The reception area was interesting to watch from the mezzanine. The area was a quiet place, rarely filled with people and mostly used as a place of reflection. Few preventers enjoyed using it. He glanced at his phone, he was early. Duo wasn't late, maybe his meeting with General Une had run over slightly. Heero rolled his shoulders, and let his hand flop down again, his grip tight around his phone. He focused instead on the milling agents on the floor below.

The wide range of Preventers was a bit mind boggling. He could see people from Active Duty that he was fairly certain he'd never noticed before. There were a small group of the Diplomatic Corp, unusual in that the agents were generally supporting ambassadors. They looked a little out of place, their slightly lighter uniforms more suited to fading into the background. 

He chuckled as he saw Wufei, crossing the reception area heading towards records while arguing with Hasigawa. 

“Oh shit.”

Heero jumped slightly, his head snapping to his left. Duo was leaning against the railing, arms folded over the bar. Heero hadn't heard him approach. Duo didn't notice his surprise, his violet eyes focused on Hasigawa. “Riko’s nemesis is Wufei...? Shit. She always just calls him TPAFA.”

Heero tilted his head slightly, “What?”

“That pompous asshole from Active.” Duo shook his head, “How did I miss that? Oh course that's Wufei.” 

“Hasigawa is a menace, she keeps stealing our files.” Heero laughed, “Wufei's only making sure she follows the—“

“You cannot defend form 29b-dash-gamma.” 

Heero held up a hand, “It's a necessary part of the evidence trail.” 

“Ah...” Duo nodded sagely, “You too are TPAFA.” He sighed, “I shoulda known...” Duo shook his head and looked over the reception area, his expression comically distant as he squinted. “I'm not sure we can go to lunch any more, Yuy. I'm not sure I want to be seen with a TPAFA.”

“You mean all your crim-buddies in Cyber Crime might shun you?” 

“How dare you imply they're my friends?” 

“Yet, you do not deny their criminal status.”

“Hey, gotta put yourself in the mind set. Besides, you can't talk, Mr Hack into private school.”

“It was the closest school.”

“The local state was ten meters closer.” 

“Across the field. By road—“

“Uh huh.” Duo smiled, shaking his head. “We were all rat bags.” 

Heero snorted. “Hn.”

They stood for a while, watching the people mill below them. Heero took a look at Duo. Duo's face was drawn, despite the distracted smile that danced on his lips. The past month had been tough on Duo. It had become apparent that Amadeus' influence was deeper than Heero had really thought about. Quatre had been reluctant to return to L4, but his business could not wait. Trowa had stayed behind, taking leave from his job. He'd moved into a hotel for a while. His presence had given the earth-bound pilots a wakeup call, and they'd made more of an effort to meet up regularly. 

Duo blinked and glanced at Heero, slight concern in his face. “What's wrong?”

“Nothing.” Heero replied, and then nodded, “I was just thinking about... well, us.” He frowned slightly, looking away. “I should have been there for you.” 

Duo stared at him for a long moment, before bitterly muttering. “I shoulda gotten out when he crossed my first boundary.” He squared his shoulders and pushed away from the railing to turn around and crossed his arms. He leaned his back against the railing. “Should haves ain't going to do shit now.” 

Heero risked a glance at Duo. Duo looked pensive, momentarily angry before looking at Heero directly. 

“Look, don't beat yourself up. I can't have that on my conscious too. I don't want to make you feel bad, you're perfect.” 

“I'm not.” Heero moved away from the railing to stand in front of Duo. “Perfect doesn't learn from mistakes. I do.” He took a moment to breathe, nodding firmly. “I'm going to be here for you from now on. Wufei, Trowa... Quatre. We're the only family we've got.” 

Duo looked at him for a very long moment, and Heero tried not to look away. Duo nodded, as if that was answer enough. He chuckled. “Heero Gundam Yuy sounds a little pretentious.” 

“Duo Gundam Maxwell kind of rolls off the tongue though.” Heero felt relieved, and held out a hand, glad when Duo took it. “I'm going to be there for you. Can you...” He glanced down, his courage failing him now, he looked at their hands and ran a thumb over Duo's. “Can you be there for me too?”

“Sure.” Duo smiled slightly, “Let's hope our dark days don't coincide though... hate to think what a Gundam Hurricane would look like.”

Heero thought about it for a moment, while Duo took to leaning back on the railing again, their hands loosely joined between them. Heero’s eyes caught on Duo’s hair.

“Can I ask you a tough question?”

“You can ask, I might not answer.” 

“Fair.” He paused, thinking carefully about how to ask it. “Why do you wear your hair up now?”

Duo stared at him for a long time before nodding ever so slightly. “I want to look professional in the workplace.” His lips pressed together before he continued. “It's what I tell myself, but you know... you hear a thing enough times, and you start to think it's your own thought.” He adjusted his glasses, no longer able to hold Heero's gaze. Heero held his hand tighter. Duo took a breath, “Ames cut my braid while I was sleeping. He said it was an accident, a prank gone wrong because he was posing for a picture... the scissors slipped and... and... he didn't mean to cut it.” Duo risked a glance up at Heero, and his fearful expression broke though Heero's shock like a lightning bolt. “I... I believed him, because he was so sorry, and crying and...” Duo drew a shaky breath, dropping his eyes in shame and whispering bitterly, “You must think I'm so stupid...” 

The world fell away. Heero blinked. He thought and then took a step closer, cupping a hand around Duo's cheek. He moved to embrace Duo, carefully putting his lips near Duo's ear. It took him a couple of tried to force his mouth to open and say what he was feeling. “I never want to be a soldier again.” He whispered, taking extreme pains to keep his fury in check. “But if you ask me, I will kill him.” 

He felt Duo's chin sink onto his shoulder, Duo's arms reach around him and hold him. It only served to make him feel angrier. His vision was narrowing, Heero stared, his body stiff against Duo's. 

“Can you hold me too?” 

Heero blinked, feeling hot tears run down his cheek. He reached up instantly, stiff hands clutching Duo's bony back. 

“You... You never wanted to kill again. Never wanted to be a weapon again.” Duo pulled him close. “So I know what you mean.” He pulled back slightly, breaking their embrace. “He only cut five inches—“

“That's still too much if you didn't consent to it.” Heero replied, trying hard not to speak harshly.

Duo reached up, gently but firmly brushing his thumbs over Heero's cheeks, wiping away the hot tears. “I didn't think you'd be so angry.” 

“I know what your hair means.” Heero said, his voice low and hard. “I know.” He raised a hand, a finger held up. He jabbed the air between them. “He should have respected you, even if he didn't know!” Heero felt another tear squeeze out from his eye, and he had to step away from Duo. His hands clenched by his side, and he felt an old familiar feeling. It was hard to explain. It made him want to shut everything down, made him want to --

_ A small, pale hand hit the glass, the puppy barked at the window even as the flames-- _

Heero stood still. Staring at nothing. 

Duo moved to stand in front of him, his expression sad. He pursed his lips for a moment, and then quietly he asked, "Do you need me to get someone, Heero?"

It took a moment, but Heero shook his head slightly. He took a moment to close his eyes, centering himself, breathing. He felt Duo's hand slip into holding his, and he held on for a moment, grounding himself in the warmth of Duo's hand. When he opened his eyes, he felt more in control. 

"He shouldn't have treated you like that." Heero said, simply. 

Duo nodded. He hesitated for a moment. “Why did you get so angry?”

Heero thought. He frowned slightly. “It was never just hair. It meant so much to you. It was a promise.” 

The light snort Duo gave surprised both of them. “I didn't think you'd remember that.”

“I ...” Heero stared at Duo. “A lot of bad things happened to us during the war. I tried to remember the moments of peace, because I didn't think I'd survive.” His gaze slipped off Duo, “I hadn't even asked, you just started speaking. I thought maybe you'd become delirious with the pain, but you remained coherent throughout. You kept going until I finished sewing you up.”

“I think I...” Duo's lips quivered in a weak smile, “I think I was just talking to take my mind off your... inability to jab me gently.”

Heero held up his hands, turning them, “I knew the nerve damage had always been quite extensive. I didn't realise how much until my third preventer mission... Nobody wanted to be sewn up by me; one agent even said he'd rather bleed out...” 

Duo tried valiantly to stop the laugh, so instead it came out as a snort. 

Heero frowned mockingly, “Why didn't anyone tell me?”

“Eh,” Duo shrugged with one shoulder, “You're not that bad... besides, lucky agent, he has the luxury of bleeding out during a mission? Some of us had Gundams to fly with broken legs!” He laughed with Heero, before his expression turned slightly serious. “Can I ask a tough question?”

Heero sobered and nodded once. 

“Where do you go...?” Duo raised a hand, gesturing vaguely at his face, “When you... you kinda blank out.” 

Heero blinked. “I...” He paused, looking around. “Not something I can talk about here.” 

“Sure. That's fair.”

“Are you busy tonight?” 

Duo's expression blanked and then seemed confused by the change in topic. “Uh... no.”

“I'm happy to talk about it. With you. Over dinner maybe?” 

Lost for words, Duo blinked before nodding jerkily. 

“Wufei and Trowa are going pet shit shopping for his new apartment.” Heero explained quickly, “I'll have the place to myself.” 

“You don't have to—“

“I want to. I trust you.” Heero opened his mouth, as if he was going to say more, but his phone started ringing. It was Wufei. He picked up the call, staring at Duo. “Yuy.” He blinked as he listened to Wufei. “Uh, no. The cafe is fine. I'm...” His head snapped to look down at the floor below. Duo followed his look. Wufei was stood by the cafe, one hand holding a phone against his ear, the other arm outspread as if making a point. “Just...” Heero shook his head, “Give me a minute, okay? I'll be there... yes. Yes. Just... okay!” He cupped his hand over the phone, and took a step back from Duo. “Did you drive today?”

“I took a bus.”

“You have a car!”

“Yeah, I dun wanna ding Quatre's car.” 

“He bought the car for you.”

“Until I pay him back, it's his car.” 

“Okay, I drove.” Heero broke into a smile as Wufei's tinny voice started shouting incomprehensibly from the phone. Duo's chuckle was sweet; it made Heero want to stay a little longer. “I can give you a lift to mine, and then I could drop you—“

“No, I’ll drive to yours. I don't want to—“

“It's fine! I'd be happy—“

Duo's phone began ringing insistently. He frowned as he glanced at the screen. “Riko?” He glanced at Heero uncertainly as he picked up. He instantly jerked the phone away from his ear as Wufei started shouting down the phone at him. They both looked down at the ground floor. Wufei was somehow holding Hasigawa at arm's length as she tried to reach for the second phone he was holding to his head. Heero sighed and glanced at Duo. “Give me a call when you're ready to go.” 

“Sure thing.” Duo smiled fondly, “Sorry we didn't actually go for coffee.”

“Coffee was just a pretext. I got what I wanted.” Heero took a couple of steps back, he held the phone to his ear, “Yes, yes. I'm on my way. Give Hasigawa her phone back.” 

Chuckling softly, Duo hung up and walked away, back towards his office. 

By the time he sat down, his phone pinged quietly. 

_ A chance to talk.  _

_ That's what I wanted.  _

_ How about 7? _

_ Is stir-fry ok? _

_ Sure you want to drive? _

Duo glanced around, shifting his phone into Do Not Disturb mode, and taking a moment to quickly reply.

_ I know. I'm glad. 7 & stir-fry both fine. Driving’s fine, just gotta be extra careful with Q’s car.  _

He tucked his phone away, and logged back onto his terminal. He smiled warmly.

* * *

_ I let it go, and now I know _

_ A brand new life, down this road _

_ Where it's right, you always know _

_ So this time, I won't let go _

_ There's only one thing left here to say _

_ Love's never too late _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Notes: Thank you so much - we're back with this story. I'm taking a break from my Nano, the mini-bang has been posted and I've finished the Christmas exchange gift. I promised myself december would the the month to come back to writing Your Body's Poetry. I certainly hope you enjoy this, with the posting of this chapter, I have passed the half way point of the chapters I've written - hahaha, I've gotta get writing so much!


	9. I stumble from your juiced up promises

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There's always something else...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song: Skin – The Trouble with Me

_ The trouble with me _

_ Is my troubles with you _

_ Sometimes you make me feel _

_ Like I'm everybody's fool _

* * *

**Your Body’s Poetry**

**By Dr Megalomania**

* * *

_ The trouble with me _

_ Is my troubles with you _

_ You'd like me to believe _

_ I need no one but you _

* * *

#  Chapter 8: I stumble from your juiced up promises

* * *

Duo sat in the car for ten minutes, trying to convince himself that Heero really wasn't just going to turn him away at the door. Rationally, he knew he was being foolish but he couldn't shake the feeling that perhaps Heero was only motivated to be kind out of pity. His emotions were all over the place. The quiet joy from Heero’s invitation had slowly been replaced by rising dread. That was why Ames had been with him... pity.

Ames had always made clear that Duo had been lucky to find him, someone who'd cared so much for such a broken, useless veteran. When Duo and Hilde hadn't worked out - a little less of incompatibility and a little more of being too similar - Duo had been at a loss. Everyone around him seemed to be partnered off neatly. Everyone had someone. Duo had failed with his 'allocated' girlfriend and Ames had been there to save him.

Duo shook his head.

That wasn't right. He ground his teeth hard, trying to confront the irrational thoughts swarming his mind. He placed his hands on the steering wheel, and took a few deep breaths. Chasing the cool air as he drew it in, he held his breath for a moment before following the warmth out.

His friendship with Hilde had been more important to him than a sexual relationship. Hilde wanted and deserved more than he wanted to give her. They'd parted on amicable terms, and he was overjoyed when she found someone who made her happy.

Ames had taken advantage of his low self-esteem. Had purposefully and strategically targeted Duo's concerns about himself, deliberately keeping him off balance by commenting inconsistently about his weight, his appearance and his habits.

Duo breathed a breath in, hating the whistle he could hear through a gap in his teeth … and out.

It wasn't fair to himself to believe that Ames was the only person he deserved. That was a lie. A lie that Ames had told him over and over while he moved to cut Duo off from everyone who could prove Ames wrong. Duo almost winced as he thought about how Ames had raged when he found out that Duo was still in contact with Hilde, the silent treatment for days when Ames had discovered that Duo had sent her an expensive gift when he couldn't make her birthday. Looking back now, Duo could see it all.

The tactics that Ames deployed to coerce Duo into behaving just the way Ames needed him to be in order to advance that little bit further into Duo's life.

Duo reached for the car key, his body wanting to retreat. He couldn't face Heero.

Heero had been through so much, fought so hard, and Duo had just--

The knock at the window was quiet. Heero was leaning over to stare into his car. Duo flushed with embarrassment and quickly got out of the car. He quickly grabbed the bottle of wine off the back seat and walked purposely around the car to Heero. Duo laughed awkwardly, “Sorry, just... uh... just daydreaming like an—“

Heero's patient gaze made Duo stop.

Duo paused, looked down, pursed his lips.

He watched as Heero took a step forward.

“I uh...” Duo took a breath and forced himself to meet Heero's steady blue eyes. “I thought that maybe... maybe you didn't actually want me to come over...” He swallowed, searching for the right words to say but gave up, admitting quietly, “Ames always said people just invited me over because they felt they had to... I got worried you'd... you'd only invited me over...”

Heero shook his head. “I was worried when you didn't arrive. I saw you in the car, and thought you might have changed your mind.” He briefly bit a lip, looking away from Duo. Duo was amazed to see a flash of uncertainty. “You asked earlier where I go... when I became...” He closed his eyes for a moment, before looking back at Duo with a little more certainty. “You have concerns that I may not be truthful with you. I am being completely truthful when I say I'd like to catch up with you. I have missed you.” He paused for a moment, clearly struggling with his next thought. “However, I am also concerned … scared actually… that you may have reservations about me when you understand the full extent of my trauma. When I saw you in the car outside, ah-about to leave, I was scared you'd changed your mind about knowing me.”

Duo gripped the bottle harder, “I wouldn't walk away from you for that, buddy.”

The relief that flooded Heero's eyes made Duo feel a sharp stab of shame.

“Thank you.” Heero took a cautious step forward. “Then please, believe me... Ames lied to you. I want you here. You're a part of my family, and I know I can trust you.”

Swallowing the almost automatic denial, Duo nodded and motioned towards Heero’s home. 

Once inside, Duo took a seat in the kitchen as Heero moved to tend to the food. He almost apologised, but held back as Heero cast him a quick smile. “I hope you don’t mind it a little over done, I wasn’t sure when you’d arrive.”

That made Duo smile, a spark of an old memory came back. “Wufei always joked about you wanting things still breathing, so I guess it will be just about cooked by normal standards.” 

Heero rolled his eyes, “We both know Wufei doesn’t know what actual food tastes like.” The chuckle that followed made Duo feel strange. It was one of Heero’s rare noises, low and warm. Duo shifted in his seat, leaning forward.

“Sure,” he followed up, “Us colony orphans who have never known a stable home life totally know everything about food.”

“Exactly,” Heero pointed his cooking chopsticks at the wok, “I’ve been to actual cooking classes. Wufei hasn’t got a clue about umami.”

A laugh burst out of Duo so loudly and obnoxiously that he slapped his hands over his mouth and cringed. “Sorry.” 

Heero blinked, surprised. “For what?”

Duo scratched the back of his neck, adjusting his glasses. “Uh, I… I’m being too loud.” 

He didn’t quite decipher the jerk of Heero’s eyebrows, before Heero pursed his lips and paused in he was doing. “I didn’t complain.” 

“No, but I should be—“

“Who says you should be quiet?” Heero challenged him, eyes steady. 

Unable to hold his look, Duo dropped his gaze. “Right, I’m sorry—“

He almost jumped when Heero moved around the workbench to touch him on the shoulder. Heero’s expression was cautious, “I’m not complaining, you haven’t done anything wrong…” He took a small breath, “I just don’t want you to feel like you can’t be …” He bit his lower lip, suddenly looking quite worried. “I’m not explaining myself right, I don’t want to …” he made a quietly impatient noise, “I don’t want to pressure you.” 

Duo wasn’t sure he understood, “Pressure me?”

“I don’t want to change your behaviour, but I also don’t want to reinforce any behavioural changes that Amadeus has imposed on you.” Heero raised a hand to rub his brow, “It’s important to me that you feel safe with me. You have not been in anyway annoying this evening.”

“I’m sorry, I don’t mean to…” Duo swallowed, shook his head. He put a hand on Heero’s. “Thank you for trying so much.” 

“I’m not particularly good with…” Heero made a vague gesture, “but I’ve read a bit about…” He looked up, looking uneasy. “I read a bit about relationships when I first started dating Relena, I read more while I was dating her and then even more widely once I left the relationship.” Heero half shrugged, “I came to understand what makes a good relationship and … what doesn’t.” He made another impatient noise, and this time Duo understood the frustration was aimed at himself. “But I’m not sure how to help you.”

“It’s not just your responsibility.” Duo replied quietly. “I’ve got to work out my own problems.”

“But you don’t have to be alone or hungry while you do it.” Heero began serving up their food. They took their seats around Heero’s small kitchen table, and Duo poured the wine for both of them. Heero pulled his seat in, and said a quiet prayer of thanks for the food. They ate quietly for a bit, feeling no pressure to speak. Duo ate carefully and slowly, half an eye on how much Heero was eating. He paused to take a drink. He could almost hear Ames complaining about how much he was drinking. The glass hit the table a little harder than Duo intended. 

Heero glanced at him in confusion, and Duo waved. 

“I’m just…” He frowned for a moment, “I’m really enjoying this, but I keep thinking that I’m eating too much.” 

“If I’ve served you too much—“

“No, no…” Duo glanced away, swallowed and then quietly admitted, “I’m trying not to eat more than you.” 

Mild confusion passed over Heero’s brow, chased by a brief spark of fury. Heero smoothed his expression out to a careful blank face. “I see.”

Duo almost laughed. “I got a lotta things to unlearn… It’s going to take a while when you’re as stupid as me”. When Heero’s expression somehow flattened, he winced slightly. 

“You’re not stupid. Whatever Ames told you, he’s wrong.” Heero said, his voice tight as if he was barely holding back the rage. “And I know, I’ve called you a fool in the past, but… you are a Gundam Pilot, you’re skilled in many areas and …” Heero’s hand balled into a fist on the table, “You’re spectacular in many fields. That Amadeus has taken that belief from you…” He sighed, purposely releasing his fist and flattening it on the table. “I know your value. You don’t have to apologise or…” he searched for the right word, “belittle yourself to me.” 

Duo thought for a moment, before giving up and nodding. “Okay. I’ll… work on it. It’s… hard.” He gestured the food uneaten on his plate, “I’ve got a few … habits to unlearn.”

“I will be here with you.” Heero leant forward, reaching out to Duo but stopping short of touching his hand. “I want to help.” He paused for a moment, thinking. “When I … I mean, you asked where I go… It’s not easy to explain.” 

He seemed flustered to Duo, which was so uncharacteristic, Duo almost laughed. Duo held himself together. It was a type of vulnerability that he’d not seen in Heero before. 

“I see the little girl I killed.” 

* * *

Wufei yawned and stretched, feeling his back crick. He’d worked quite late. Trowa had been quite gracious when he cancelled the pet shop… of course he had already rearranged a new appointment with Wufei. It was a clear habit Trowa had developed from Quatre. It was of course raining again. He sighed slightly; he didn’t like driving in the rain but he’d survive. Logging off, Wufei stood and shut down his station. He grabbed his long coat, checked for his wallet, keys and phone. Satisfied he had everything, he locked the office up and started off to the car park. 

He paused the instant he walked out of the lift. There was an acrid smell in the air. Machinery, oily, burnt out. Shifting his stance slightly, he moved a hand to hover over his gun and he walked silently towards the source of the smell. As he got closer, he was slightly confused by the sound of quiet weeping. 

Taking position behind a pillar, he dipped out to take stock of the situation and was surprised to see Hasigawa squatting down by her car, hands pressed over her face. The car was parked very badly. Her car’s hood was up, smoke delicately rising from it. She didn’t notice him as he approached. 

Wufei stared at her for a long time, concerned by the picture in front of him. 

He cleared his throat.

Hasigawa looked up but didn’t get up from her position. If anything, at the sight of him, she seemed to shrink. Her hands were now cupped over her knees and she rested her chin on them.

Wufei looked into her engine, immediately spotting that the oil cap was missing. “Where’s your oil cap?”

“I lost it.” Hasigawa was very quiet. “I don’t think I put it back properly this morning.”

Wufei made a sympathetic noise. 

“I heard a weird thunk on my way in.” Hasigawa didn’t look up. “When I tried to leave, the car just… didn’t sound good.” 

He frowned down at her, not liking how withdrawn she sounded. “Must have been a bit scary.”

“I will end you if you dare be nice to me.”

Crouching beside her, Wufei reached out and mussed her hair. “There you are, Hasigawa.”

She slapped at his arm, “Knock it off. What are you, five?”

“Well, I am, technically number Five.” Wufei smirked and stood, holding a hand out to her. Hasigawa ignored him and stood, taking a moment to brush off her legs. They looked down into the car for a moment. 

“So.” Hasigawa looked at him, speculatively. “I’ve got electrical tape in the boot.”

Wufei narrowed his eyes in confusion looking at her. She rolled her eyes. 

“Ugh, what? Do you need gum or something as well?”

Wufei looked at her and then the engine and then her again, “Are you … suggesting I somehow fix your car with tape and chewing gum?”

Hasigawa waved her hands at the car vaguely, “Just do your Gundam thing.” When he rolled his eyes at her, she chuckled, “Or is the number thing in order of usefulness?”

Wufei shook his head and moved to close the hood. “You’re going to need a new oil cap.” 

“Really?” Hasigawa called as she moved to open her car, then picked up her rucksack from the front seat and dumped it on the floor as she locked up. “The thing I lost is the thing I need? That’s some real deep Gundam shit there… Now I know how you saved the gosh darn world!” 

She walked up to Wufei and they stared at each other for a moment until Wufei started chuckling unwillingly. He looked away from her as he pulled his wallet out and deposited a credit in her hand. He looked at her once he had the laughter under control. “Where’s your coat? It’s raining.”

Hasigawa looked away. “Yeah, well some of us don’t prepare for every situation.”

“Here.” He began shrugging his coat off. Hasigawa took a step back. 

“No. You don’t have to...”

“You’re going to need something for that long walk.” Wufei smirked. 

Hasigawa made a face at him and turned away. Wufei pulled his coat off, made a broad sweeping gesture, wrapping her in the coat and positioning himself easily in front of her. He pulled the coat up by the collar. 

He took immense pleasure in the look of surprise in Hasigawa’s wide dark eyes as he pulled in close. “I’m joking, Hasigawa.”

She stared at him for a long moment, and he felt her arm move between them. She held up the credit he’d just given her. He smirked, took it off her and stepped back. “Come on, I’ll give you a lift home.” He picked up her bag. “I can also pick you up tomorrow. If you want.”

He started walking to his car, pausing when he noticed she wasn’t right behind him. He glanced over his shoulder; Riko stood swishing back and forth in his coat. She stopped when she noticed him watching. She looked mortified for a moment before her normal sneer locked in place. “What, Chang?” She pulled the coat close over her shoulders. “You cannot tell me, you don’t swish in this coat.”

He snorted softly and walked back to her. Putting a hand on her lower back, he pushed slightly. “You’re such a dork.”

“You’re not denying the swishing.”

Wufei snorted, “I think you will find it’s more for standing around dramatically.”

“Ah, in the wind,” Hasigawa threw her arms up in front of her making finger guns. “With doves flying up around you while you’re shooting two guns.”

Wufei side-eyed her. “You want to walk?”

“No, sir.” She walked, dropping her arms. “Can you shoot two guns at the same time?”

Wufei made a face as if confused. “Can’t everyone?”

“Shut up.” Hasigawa paused for a moment. “Seriously though?”

* * *

After dinner, they decamped to the living room. They sat at either end of Heero's sofa with their third glass of wine. Duo sipped slowly, as slowly as Heero. Heero stared at the TV even though it wasn't on. Duo hadn't been sure what to say as Heero told him about the little girl, her new puppy, the way the mobile suits had fallen like dominoes. He'd swallowed as he imagined the young Heero Yuy frantically searching the rubble for survivors, finding nothing but the bloody body of the pup, and then taking the long walk back to his supervisors. Duo had reached out then, taking a moment to tell Heero, "I'm still here." 

Heero had blinked in surprise then. Like he'd forgotten that he was reciting the events, monotone and factual. He’d seemed to run out of steam for the retelling, and they'd resumed eating, talking delicately about other things. 

Duo had been staring at his reflection in the darkened TV screen - pinched cheeks, eyes too wide apart - when Heero suddenly spoke. 

“I was congratulated on a job well done.” 

Duo looked up. Heero was still staring towards the TV, steady blue eyes distant. 

“It didn't feel like a job well done. I had met the mission objectives, but the civilian casualties didn't matter to them. When they found out I'd buried the puppy, they were confused. I wasn't supposed to mourn a meaningless thing. I couldn't explain why I'd done it. I thought I'd failed the mission despite meeting the objectives.” He took a slow breath. “I tried to kill myself, and then failed at doing that.” One eyelid wavered; an expression that Duo almost recognised from the war flickered over Heero's face. Heero turned his head fractionally to look at Duo. “That's where I go sometimes. Back...Back to the girl. She's screaming. Her room is on fire. The fire is too much for me. I can't… can’t save her.” 

He licked his lip, hesitating before nodding firmly. Mind made up, he turned toward Duo. 

“When I heard that Amadeus cut your hair, I thought that he could have cut your throat. I would have been too far away. I couldn't have saved you either.” He swallowed. “And I... I am frightened by that idea.” 

Duo didn't know what to say, he could only shuffle a little closer - putting the glass carefully on the table - and reach out to touch Heero's arm gently. “I'm... sorry. I didn't want you to be worried.” 

Heero stared at Duo's hand for a long time before slowly cupping his hand over Duo's. “When I... I was ... sectioned.” He stopped. Took a moment to gather himself. “I knew I was a danger. I wasn't able to discern what was real and what wasn't. When Relena left me, I lost my own purpose and didn’t know how to feel. I'd become paranoid that Relena was under constant threat and convinced I was the only one who could protect her. It was okay that we weren’t together as long as I could make sure I was protecting her.” He raised his eyes to meet Duo's. “My time in hospital helped me to separate that obsessive thinking from what I rationally know. When I get stuck in those intrusive types of thoughts, it helps...” He squeezed Duo's hand. “It helps to be grounded.” 

He leant forward to put his glass down and turn towards Duo, curling a leg under him but not letting go of Duo's hand. 

Curious, Duo let Heero take control of his hand. Heero turned it palm up, and traced his fingers across Duo's palm gently. 

“I breathe, then I look for things I can see, touch, hear, smell and taste.” A finger traced the worn lines of Duo's palm, over an old scar slowly as if committing it to memory. “Earlier today… I appreciate you letting me come back to myself. Wufei's learnt to be quiet, but...” Heero snorted softly. “Everyone else thinks I'm ignoring them and just shouts louder.” His steady blue eyes flicked up, meeting Duo's with a fleeting warm look before returning to his study of Duo's palm. Another scar traced with a reverence that Duo didn't believe he deserved. 

“How...” He licked his dry lips, almost cringing at his voice. “How does the grounding thing work?”

Heero didn't seem to mind the interruption. A gentle smile surfaced briefly. “Breathe in.” 

Duo waited.

Heero looked up, a smirk patiently on his lips. 

“Oh!” Duo breathed in.

“Hold two three four...” Heero's voice was low. “Out two three four... in two three four...”

Duo got the hang of the breathing once he let his eyes close. The gentle pressure of Heero's fingertips, the firm grip on his wrist. He was held in place, and Heero's low voice paced his breathing. 

“Open your eyes, five things you can see.” 

Heero's watch was matt black, functional but stylish. The wine in Heero's glass was noticeably lower than Duo's. The rug was weirdly colourful for the room, like Heero hadn't picked it but had kept it anyway. The street light caught on the wet red leaves outside the window. Heero's hair still looked like it defied all brushes and yet was neat in its disorder. 

“Breath in, hold, breath out... Four things you can touch.” 

He wiggled his toes; the rug was soft, thick pile. His knee was planted in the cushion, far too soft to ever provide support. The metal of his cross, warm under his shirt. He lifted his other hand and touched Heero's knee, the material of his trousers flexible but practical - tough enough that Heero could scrape along the floor and not worry his trousers would rip.

“Breath in, hold, breath out... Three things you can hear.”

Duo let his eyes close again. The faint drip of water from the kitchen - Heero had a leaky tap. Outside a motorbike drove past. Somewhere in the room, an old analogue style clock ticked. He opened his eyes, surprised that Heero would have such a thing. 

“Breath in, hold, breath out... two things you can smell.” 

Without meaning to, Duo's nose wrinkled in amusement. He could smell the wine, heavy on both of their breaths. He closed his eyes, trying to isolate another smell. He caught something - both familiar and out of place - and leaned forward slightly. Heero's cologne, utterly unfamiliar but somehow very him, nothing like the grease and sweat he used to smell of – it was a memory of something he knew he’d probably never smell again. 

“You look sad.” Heero said softly, causing Duo to open his eyes with a snap. “Sorry. Breath in.” 

Duo took a slow breath in, holding on to Heero's steady blue gaze. 

“Hold and... Breath out.” Heero returned his attention to Duo's hand. “One thing you can taste.” 

Duo stared, his lips parted. When Heero glanced up, he felt his cheeks flush hot and he snapped his attention to the table. “The wine.” 

It was momentarily confusing for him to see the quick quirk of Heero's eyebrow, the way his blue eyes danced off somewhere low on Duo’s face to the wine and then his expression smooth out to something warm. “You don't have to tell me,” he said quietly. “It's more for you...”

“Well.” Duo rolled a shoulder, his face feeling red. “I never lie... ain’t nothing else I can taste.”

The laugh that barrelled out of Heero was a surprise; Duo looked at him in slight alarm. Heero sobered almost immediately, “Sorry, that's... that's more like the Duo I remember.” He chuckled and gave Duo's hand one more squeeze before letting go. “I'm glad... I missed the you I remember.” He leaned forward to pick up his wine and took a deep gulp, his tongue chasing drops as he carefully put the glass down. Steady blue eyes dipped again and Duo felt something twist in him as he realised Heero was looking at his mouth again. Felt his breath suddenly catch as Heero licked his lips slowly again. Couldn’t help himself as he ran the tip of his tongue over the edge of his mouth slowly to watch how Heero would react. Was blown away as Heero’s eyes fractionally unfocused as he sucked his bottom lip in. 

When Duo couldn’t stop the slight quirk of a smile… the spell was broken. Heero’s eyes refocused, slipped off him. Duo didn’t know what to say, noticing how Heero seemed to swallow. He reached for his glass and paused when he realised his glass was empty. “I’ll…” he cleared his throat, standing. “Uh, I’ll get more wine.” 

Heero stood, a light sway in his stance. 

Duo stretched his back. “I think maybe I gotta call a cab.” 

“Why?” Heero asked him, warily. “Is it--?”

Duo chuckled. “No. I drove here… and it’s been a while since I drank so much… and uh…” He raised a hand to his head. “Yeah, I’m kinda drunk now…” 

“Oh…” Heero turned to look out the window. “It’s raining, you should… uh…”

Duo got up and joined him by the window, staring out in the darkness. The street light caught on the beautiful red leaves just out the window, but it was Heero’s expression that caught his attention. He turned to look at Heero, who was smiling lazily, dark blue eyes suddenly intense. “You should stay over.”

Duo blinked. “Wufei’s got the spare room. He might be back tonight.” He wrinkled his nose. “And I’m too old for your sofa, bud.”

Heero rolled a shoulder a little too nonchalantly. “I’ve got a king-size bed.” 

It made Duo laugh and pull the empty glass out of his friend’s hand. “Uh huh. Okay, bud. No more drinking for you. Or for me.” He put it down on the table gently and straightened. “I’m gonna call a cab.” 

“Why?” There was a shade in Heero’s voice, like he was hurt. “We used to sleep together all the time.”

“We were teens on the run from the authorities.” Duo wrinkled his nose. “Now we’re—“

“You’re not too old for the sofa.” Heero frowned like he’d thought something unpleasant. “You’d take him, you know that, right? You could lay him out at any time.” His breath hitched, jaw working for a moment. “He shouldn’t have done that to you. Made you think you were less.” Heero took a step forward. “He shouldn’t have touched you, shouldn’t have touched your hair… I should have been there for you! I should have protected you!”

Duo straightened and moved to grab Heero by the arms, shocked by the sudden fever in him. It must have shown on his face, because Heero stilled instantly and recoiled, stepping away from Duo. He raised a hand to pull nervously at his hair and shook himself. 

“I’m sorry. A cab. Yes. I… I can call you one. Uh.” Heero patted his pockets. “Phone.” He pointed at the kitchen and then moved before Duo could say anything. 

Duo looked down at the table, thinking hard about what just happened. It was obvious despite his drunkenness that Heero wanted him. Wanted him in a way that reminded him of how Ames had wanted him at first. Would it be so bad? Heero was just… not Ames. If Heero got what he wanted from Duo, maybe they could keep this. Duo looked around - the dinner, the conversation, the… right feeling, not constantly on edge, just… togetherness that wasn’t dependent on anything else. It wasn’t like he wasn’t used to it. Sex was just a thing and Heero was… Heero wasn’t Ames. It would be different.

He grabbed his own glass and necked it. 

He put the glass down firmly when Heero came back. Heero was talking on the phone and reached out to tap Duo on the shoulder, holding his phone forward apologetically. “I don’t know your address.”

Taking the phone, he calmly stared at Heero while speaking clearly. “Hi? Yes. I don’t need a lift, thanks. I’ve changed my mind. Yes, please cancel the cab.”

He looked down at Heero’s phone as he hung up, the brief flash of his background – some geometric soothing image – enough to steady his nerves. 

“That’s okay, right?” Duo handed the phone back. “You’re right, I’m okay to sleep over.” He smiled hesitantly at Heero’s surprise. “That is… if the offer is still there.” 

Heero’s mouth closed with a snap, he nodded twice hard and then looked around. “Wufei’s got a futon rolled up—“

“More wine?”

There were few things that made Heero Yuy nervous. Duo enjoyed the brief flash of uncertainty in Heero’s expression, but he also was moved to step forward to throw his arms around Heero’s neck. “I’m not mad at you. I just… we’re both a little drunk, but maybe that makes it a little easier.”

Heero stiffened for a long moment, melting into the hug once he realised Duo wasn’t going to simply let go. Duo’s eyes shot open as Heero ran strong hands over his back, before settling somewhere above his hips. “You should be mad.” 

“Maybe.” 

They looked at each other, very aware of the other’s lack of sobriety. Duo breathed out for a moment. 

“Maybe.” Duo moved forward, pressing into the hug. His voice low. “Maybe I just want a friend who’s there for me again. If you want me, I’m…” He pulled back to look at Heero helplessly. “I’m yours.” 

Heero blinked, realisation setting in. “I’m… I’m not.” He blinked again. “My friendship isn’t… I’m not asking you to…” He seemed to crumble a little inside, pulling away from Duo and sank down to sit on the floor. “Oh shit.” 

Duo dropped gracefully down to his knees, swaying a little on his landing. “Uh… are you okay?”

“Look…” Heero raised a hand to rub his forehead. “I’m really drunk”.

“So am I.” Duo laughed at the abrupt statement. 

“No, I mean, I’m really drunk. And you’re drunk too.”

“Uh huh.” 

Heero swallowed, “So I’m just gonna say it… you’re…” He seemed to struggle to find a phrase that would fit. He shook his head. “Fuck it, you’re shit hot, like…” Heero looked up for a moment, searching for the right words. “Like…” he gave up and leant forward to whisper. “Like… please fuck me, you’re that hot.” 

Duo felt a red hot flush hit his cheeks and he swayed as he moved to whisper, “so are you.” 

“But you… you just got out of a terrible place, and you need a friend.” Heero glowered a little, jabbing himself in the chest. “And I’m gonna be that friend. And you… you don’t need to sleep with me for that friendship. I’m here. I’m gonna be your friend. You don’t have to… sleep with me, if you don’t want to… right now.”

A sickly wave of relief and sadness washed over Duo and he felt himself welling up with gratitude. He looked away for a moment, trying to steady himself before looking back at Heero. “But if… If I change my… If I fix my… if I change my mind, would… will you still be my fri… could you give me a chance?” 

Heero’s smile was wonky. “If you want to take a chance on me.” He leaned forward again. “I never realised how beautiful your eyes are.”

The helpless adoration in Heero’s voice made Duo swallow, a little joy in his heart… but it was soon overshadowed by a brutal memory. He winced slightly, and pulled back. He was so sorry that he couldn’t hide the relief in his voice. “You’re not mad?” 

Heero didn’t seem to understand, and Duo was glad. Heero shook his head carelessly, “No. I always thought they were a weird blue but your eyes are this intense violet almost… I knew, but I don’t think I really appreciated this shade of…” His brows pulled together slightly as his expression turned to confused concern. “Why would I be mad?” 

“We’re not gonna have sex tonight. And that’s okay, right?”

“Uh…” Heero’s confusion grew. “Yes?”

Duo found himself tensing, his lips pressing together. Heero was quite drunk, his usually steady blue eyes slowly tracking side to side as if he was trying to unlock a secret in his mind. Something clicked into place and he looked at Duo with shock. “Are we… Did Amedeus…” He stopped, looking to one side for a long moment. “Would it help if I was less drunk?” 

Something loosened in Duo and he deflated slightly. “Yes?”

“Uh…” Heero’s blue eyes weren’t focusing well. “Coffee or… sleep?” 

Even the mention of the word provoked a yawn in Duo. Heero chuckled lightly as he took that as an answer. 

“Yes. Sleep. Sleep is a good idea.” He slowly got up to his feet, swaying as he did and held out a hand to help Duo up. They stared at each other for a long moment, before Heero grabbed one of Duo’s hands and walked on. “Let’s go to bed. You can borrow another tee-shirt.”

They staggered all the way up the stairs and Duo marvelled slightly at the wide, high bed. 

“Relena,” Heero said by way of explanation. “Relena always had huge beds, and when I moved in… I thought, oh, a sing-single bed will do… but then I kept falling out.” 

The mental image of Heero Yuy – Gundam pilot – falling out of bed made Duo snort with laughter. 

Heero shrugged. “I’d forget… so I got a huge bed. But…” He swallowed and glanced at Duo. “If you want me to uh… sleep on the floor, I can.” 

“You would, wouldn’t you?” Duo looked at him and curled his fingers around Heero’s hand, feeling his whole body relax. “Nah, it’s okay, bud.” He smiled warmly, relieved at Heero’s wonky smile. “So, how do you get in? Do you have a step ladder?”

* * *

_ I stumble from your juiced up promises _

_ Can't believe what I forgave in you _

_ Too scared by what you think I'm living for _

_ So distorted _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading this.   
So it's been a while. Not going to gloss over it. My work has killed every bit of creativity I had, I'm not in a great mental place as a result and I'm still working on bringing back the spark. Posting is and will continue to be whenever I feel like opening myself up to sharing this story beyond my long suffering beta.   
Comments which imply I should be posting faster do not help.   
If anything, it makes me feel less like writing because it becomes a form of work and anything... ANYTHING that makes me think about work, I avoid. [briefly climbs on soapbox] This isn't content you're paying for, and if you feel like I owe you more regular updates, feel free to pay me sufficiently enough to replace my real life job. If you don't feel like paying me enough to make this my full time job, then the next time your fingers itch to comment anything along the lines of "post faster." or "did you forget about this?"... do me a favour and walk away from the damned keyboard.   
The last time I got pissed off with fanfiction writing because of some ass expecting me to 'post faster', I stopped writing for 10 years. Check it out, Fade to Black on fanfiction.net - 10 year gap between posting and completion. This is not an idle threat. I'm not in a good place at the moment, and I feel it necessary to put it out there and remind you: Fanfiction is freely shared content that is created through love. Frequency of posting is quite often a indication of my mental state.   
[climbs off soap box]   
9 out of 10 times, comments are wonderful. You are wonderful people, and I try to remember there's only the occasional entitled bastard. Thank you if you've read these notes as well.


	10. Rainbows and shit

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wufei's gotta think, Duo's reaching out, Heero's seeing colour

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: hahahahahahaha… I’m so old. You know the score.   
Notes: Relationships are hard work.  
Song: Lizzo – Better in Colour

_ Color _

_ My whole world o' color, babe _

_ Love looks better _

_ Love, love looks better _

_ In color (Rainbows and shit) _

_ Oh, if I try to tell you then you try to hurt me _

_ I'mma tell your momma _

* * *

**Your Body’s Poetry**

**By Dr Megalomania**

* * *

_ You can be my lover _

_ 'Cause love looks better in color _

_ (Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah) _

* * *

**Chapter 9: Rainbows and shit**

* * *

Wufei stared at the sky. 

He'd come to the park to think. Quite suddenly, after months of no communication, Marta had asked him to meet with Tatiana. Marta was of the opinion that Tatiana had no right to the meeting, but had promised her sister that she would at least ask. She seemed prepared for Wufei's rage and was surprised when he gave it a moment and firmly stated he would only meet her in public with Marta present in a few days’ time.

He'd left the office a little early, having worked through his lunch. He walked around the lake, finally settling on a wide patch of green grass, away from the children's play area. With his preventer's coat carefully folded under his head, he lay back and watched the clouds roll by.

What could Tatiana possibly want from him?

He watched a bird fly past, thought about the way its wings beat. Allowed himself to actually hear his own thoughts. 

Surely it was obvious… the problem was… 

He didn't want to go back to her.

She wasn’t who he wanted. 

Not anymore. 

A few months away from their relationship had shown him the parts of his life he'd given up for her. With a little distance, her drinking and her selfishness were clear as day. He had tolerated a lot in the hopes of fulfilling a promise that didn't mean much to him anymore. 

The last of his line.

He snorted softly.

No child produced of a union with Tatiana would have been happy. Their relationship had not been stable, and he'd been so focused on ensuring they got married, he'd stopped thinking about his own happiness in life.

No amount of genetic security was worth that.

He frowned.

No child would live happily in such a family life. Duty could not come before love. His child was going to have a life. The life he never had. 

Tatiana wouldn’t be the kind of mother for the child they might have. And… in that relationship, he couldn’t be the kind of father he wanted to be. 

Closing his eyes, Wufei shook his head and just breathed. He listened to the sounds around him. The water lapping in the gentle breeze, the faint laughter of children playing... the tinny sound of music playing too loudly from someone's headphones. He opened one eye.

Standing over him, looking down in surprise, Hasigawa had pulled off her headphones. She knelt down, sighed and looked away. “Can't you, like, not appear when I don't need you?”

He pushed himself up onto his elbows, “I was here first, Hasigawa.”

“This is my—“ she huffed, pursed her lips and shook her head. “It's a nice view of the lake.”

Wufei followed her gaze, tipping his head slightly. “Yes, it is.”

Hasigawa shifted, bringing a knee up to rest her chin on, hugging her leg. “I was hoping to find somewhere to draw quietly.”

“You can do that…” He gestured as if it should be obvious, “On the other side of the lake.”

She made a face. “I wanted to do it here.”

“Well, I'm here.”

She looked at him dourly before something occurred to her. Hasigawa blinked and pulled off her rucksack. She pulled out a sketchbook and a pencil. Wufei looked down idly at the pages as she flicked through to find a blank page. Fully expecting her to be terrible at it… he was surprised to spot a few admittedly technically competent sketches. Feigning disinterest, he rolled his eyes as he admitted to himself that they were more than just technically competent sketches. As she started scratching away at the paper, Wufei rolled his eyes and lay back down. The quiet noise from her pencil didn't disturb him as much as he thought. The music wasn't so intrusive either. What he'd taken from brash rock actually sounded like classical music in a modern remix. He sighed, letting himself drift.

Tatiana probably wanted to resume a relationship. He wasn’t very good at meeting people; every woman he’d ever dated had either tolerated him or found him boring. Tatiana could at least … pretend she wasn’t bored by him.

He thought about it for a moment, calmly listening to what his heart was telling him.

He didn't want to go back.

Wufei had a lovely new apartment; his cat was overjoyed with Quatre's tendency to purchase new toys. Trowa had laughed while he'd installed the latest cat toy with Wufei - it was a complex system of platforms and scratching posts. Tatiana would have pitched a fit if Wufei had even thought about buying such a thing for the cat without something extravagant for her first.

“You look like you're thinking about something unpleasant.” Hasigawa's voice was carefully quiet, as if she didn't want to wake him.

He opened an eye. “My ex would like to meet. I’ve got to make up my mind, before I go away with Heero next week.”

“Oh the drama.” Hasigawa's lips quirked, a flash of disgust. “You could say no.”

“She gets one chance.”

“You always give her a chance.” Hasigawa snorted softly. “You should give up on her.”

“Yes.” He nodded slightly, closing his eyes again. “Probably.”

“... Maybe give someone else a chance.”

Wufei's eyes shot open again. He looked at Hasigawa, who was engrossed in her sketching. Her expression was deliberately blank. He narrowed his eyes, “Did you just indelicately ask me out?”

Hasigawa stilled, her pencil pressed hard against the paper. “No.” She huffed and looked away, “Yes.”

“Why?”

“Because you're a terrible person, but at least you're fun to dick about with. Because I feel sorry for you, you've been like a kicked dog for weeks now.”

He rolled his eyes, affronted. “I have not.”

“You haven't tried to take my parking spot for a month.”

“Because I found a better space.”

“You didn't even bother to file a complaint when I took your evidence again.”

“Because I knew you'd return it, in better order than you would have gotten it.”

“You haven't even...” she sighed, “You didn't even notice I'd bought regulation coloured tights last month. I thought you'd say something.”

That made Wufei blink and look down. Sure enough, her tights were not some shade of the rainbow, but a very sensible black. Hasigawa's hand tugged at her skirt, pulling it down over her knees self-consciously. He snapped his eyes up and stared at her. Swallowing, he pushed himself up and sat up opposite her, his legs crossed.

“What... How?”

“Look,” Hasigawa made an inpatient noise. “You wanna throw yourself at Little Miss Drunk But Socially Acceptable Six-Shot Krakowski-Minor, go for it. Don't let me stop you.” She began packing up her rucksack again, hurriedly standing. “I don’t even know why I bother!”

She was striding away by the time Wufei blinked out of his surprise. Scrabbling to his feet and hurriedly pulling on his jacket, he jogged after her. “Hasigawa!”

She resolutely ignored him until he grabbed her elbow and stopped her.

“You...” he looked down, scrambling for something sensible to say. “You look terrible in normal coloured tights.”

They stared at each other; he was mortified until Hasigawa dropped her shoulders in defeat. 

“I know!” Her head fell forward, her purple hair tumbling in front of her face. “I know I do. You haven't said anything. You didn't even notice. I thought...” She raised a hand to tuck her hair behind her ear, and turned to look at Wufei defiantly. “You've been pretty down lately, I thought it might cheer you up but...” she pursed her lips. “You didn't even notice.”

“I'm...” Wufei raised a hand to pinch his nose irritably. “Look, I'm not going to apologise for not noticing your tights. How was I supposed to know you decided to wear shitty coloured tights in an effort to cheer me up?”

“You're usually so fucking on everything, jerk. You always say something about the new colours!”

“Yes, well, my former fiancée tried to get my brother's former boyfriend to destroy his car, and she decided to live stream it. I've been a little preoccupied, and really, I haven't been staring at your legs lately.”

Her dark eyes narrowed, “You mean you sometimes pay attention to my legs?”

He stared at her, not certain how to respond until she cracked first and snorted. She looked away from him. 

“Look. First thing, you owe me a credit. I got you. Second thing…” She pursed her lips and pulled on her rucksack’s straps in a motion that was unfamiliar. Almost like she was nervous. “I hear you’re a pretty focused on honour kinda guy, something about you wanting to get married because you want to carry on your family line and the woman you’re looking for is…” She rolled her eyes hard, “Definitely not me. I’m not the socially acceptable normal woman. I mean, I question if I’m a woman at all sometimes. I think traditional marriage is a concept, I’m sure it does something for you and … I’m not her. I’m not this fucking catwalk model with a drinking problem but would probably be great at being in family photos…” Her hands tightened into fists and she glared at him defiantly. “But I make you laugh, I make you feel more than -- I’m going to guess here, feel free to stop me but -- a weary kind of protectiveness and a sense of obligation. You’ve insulted me, I’ve insulted you, but we’re still fri—respected co-workers. I mean, not that I respect you but—“

Wufei blinked and raised a hand to her face. He took a step forward to kiss her.

“What the fuck are you doing?”

Her blunt question stopped him. “Isn’t this the bit where I kiss you?”

“You can fucking step off, Chang. I asked you out, you ain’t even said yes.” She took a step back, and gestured her face, “You get this when we’ve had a coherent conversation about where and who we are. This is not some cheesy rom-com buddy; just because Six-shot Krakowski-Minor is on the sidelines, doesn’t mean I’m automatically stepping up to the plate.” She blinked and half shrugged, “I just figured you know we could… try it out. See if it fits.” Hasigawa looked him up and down once, “Who knows... I don’t like regulation tights; I’m probably not going to like Mr Regulation Himself.” She paused, looking away. “Ugh. I dread to imagine what sex with you might be like, I mean… your bed must be so starchy.”

Laughing, Wufei dropped his hand, a weird kind of relief washing over him. “Okay.” He took a moment to look away, up at the sky. This felt better. He smiled slightly and looked back at Hasigawa, “Full disclosure? I like the pinks and the purples you wear; they complement your hair on the days you deign to style it. You want to cheer me up with tights? Bring up that hot pink.” He shrugged, “And those heels you um… you save for formal occasions or when you want to feel tall.”

She mockingly gasped, “But they’re not regulation, Captain Chang!” She cocked her head, “And it’s Raspberry Pie, but I appreciate the effort, I know that was a reach for you.”

He laughed, sticking his hands into his pockets. “You know what? I also like that combo you sometimes wear, the kingfisher blue with the tiny fishnets.” He shrugged, “Makes you look like you have mermaid legs.”

Genuine surprise flashed over her face as Hasigawa blinked, “You noticed that?”

“Maybe…” He felt a hot flush over his cheeks and had to look away, he stared at a cloud, watching it roll by. “Maybe I do look at your legs sometimes.” His hands clenched in his pockets, “Maybe it will be nice to feel something other than… what did you call it? Weary protectiveness.” He blinked as the concept settled in his head, “Maybe I don’t always have to perform the act of being an attentive perfect boyfriend…” He took a deep breath and drew on the courage that was rapidly failing him. He looked at her hopefully. “I haven’t ever tried on a relationship just to see if it fits.” 

She looked at him quizzically, “Why not? I mean, you wouldn’t just buy your clothes off the rack and take them home hoping they’ll fit...” 

“What does that--?”

She slapped her forehead, “Of course you would. Listen.” She stepped forward and linked her arm with his and started walking. “We gonna do this? Okay! We’re going to do it like some rational adults who are going to finally get some decent fucking food.” 

Wufei laughed as he allowed her to drag him away. 

* * *

Duo yawned as he walked into his home, exhausted. It had been a long day, no breaks and no lunch. He rolled his eyes when his brain traitorously added 'no Heero'. He'd gotten so used to meeting Heero for either lunch or one of their breaks. Heero had been away most of the week investigating, but... Duo glanced at his home screen, he and Wufei would be back tonight. They had gone up county for a couple of nights to check a lead. 

In fact... he squinted at the time, Heero should have arrived about 30 minutes ago. He rolled his shoulders and tapped his messages. The first message was from Trowa, a quiet reminder to call Quatre and to eat something. Hilde was the second message, some incoherent shouting at the beginning - she was still in the scrap yard - followed by a demand that he reply to her messages within 48 hours this time. The third message was from Quatre, an incredible unsubtle reminder that Duo was supposed to just accept the damned car. Duo laughed to himself, tapping on the screen to add a reminder to email Hilde later. 

The next message was a voice message from an unknown number. Duo hesitated for a moment before playing the message; it was unusual for him to receive messages from--

_ "Hey babe? B-babe, it's me. I just... look, I know I fucked up, I just got so mad, but... I’m going to make it up to you. Okay, babe? Just... it was all a misunderstanding, that... those bastards never treated you right. Just. Call me. Okay. You call me. I don’t know what I’m going to do..."  _

Duo sank slowly to his knees, his hands shaking in a strange way. He stared at his hands, unable to put his thoughts in order. He swallowed hard. His heart was racing, and he looked at the door worriedly. He should have changed his goddamned number. Should have changed the goddamned locks. 

He was gripped by the sudden fear that Ames would arrive at his door. Duo blinked and shot to his feet, moving to lock the door and grab his phone. He flicked through the numbers, and dialled Heero without another thought. Pressing his back hard against the wall, He listened to the phone as it dialled. What seemed like a year later, a groggy Heero picked up. “Hello?” 

“Hi. Heero! Look, uh, hi.” Duo's brain short-circuited and he forgot what he was trying to do. “Um.” 

“Hi.” Heero sounded exhausted but vaguely amused, “Are you okay?” 

“Uh.” Duo blinked. “No. No I'm not, Ames called.” 

“He what?” There was a sound in the background, like Heero was moving. “Are you-- did he hurt you?” 

“No. He just called, left a message, I’m sorry, I just—I didn’t know what—“

“Did he threaten you?” There was a slam of a door, the jangle of keys. Heero's voice briefly cut out as the call was rerouted to another speaker. “Where are you?” 

“I'm at home. I...” Duo swallowed, suddenly feeling very stupid. “I locked the door. He only called, said he wanted to talk. I... I don't want to. I didn’t know what else--” 

“You don't have to.” Heero sounded distinctly more alert now. “Listen, I'm on my way.” 

“You don't...” Duo swallowed, shame rising in him even as the gratitude flooded his voice. “Thank you… I don't want to call him.” 

“I'm coming, I'll be there soon.” Heero paused for a moment, “Look, block his number from your home set up. Can you do that?” 

“Yes. Sorry, I didn't think—“

“It's okay, Duo. It's okay.”

* * *

When Heero arrived, he looked exhausted but didn't say anything about it. 

Duo stared at Heero on his doorstep for a long moment, before mutely stepping aside to let him in. Heero rolled his shoulders, taking a moment to check behind before stepping in and waiting until Duo had locked the door. Heero stood for a moment, appraising the locks. He glanced at Duo before looking away, quietly muttering. “Tomorrow we buy better locks.” 

Duo followed the thought, his own mind quietly assessing the ease with which he could gain entry. He nodded. “Sure.” 

Heero slipped his shoes off, and followed Duo back into the living room. He looked around, stifling a yawn. “Does Amadeus know your home well?” 

“He's had a key for a few months, but he's only been here rarely.” 

“Does he know how to enter, other than the front entrance?” 

“There's no service entrances, and the underground car park is monitored through a card entry - I never got around to giving him the credentials.” Duo raised a hand to scratch his neck, “Thank god for small mercies. He doesn't drive.” He shook his head, “I'm sorry for—“

“Don't. You don't need to apologise.” Heero turned, his whole attention on Duo. “I was...” His lips pulled in a slight smile, embarrassed almost, “I was thinking about calling you. I'm tired but...” He breathed out, “I've missed you.” 

“I missed you too.” Duo blurted. “Even if... Even if Ames hadn't called, I wanted to call you. Uh...” He looked around, “Look, I haven't had anything to eat yet. Do you.” He frowned for a moment, “Do you want to get some food?” 

“I was rather hoping you'd be up for dinner.” Heero seemed to brighten. “I'm happy to order out.” 

“We'll be waiting forever.” Duo warned and then moved toward his kitchen, “I'm sure I've got some basics.” He glanced over his shoulder, “If you don't mind my cooking.” 

“I don't remember.” Heero shrugged, joining him. “But I'm sure it will be fun to find out.” 

“Want something to drink?” 

“I'd love something cold.”

Duo opened the fridge, eyeing the various things there. “I could make something fairly filling.” He pulled out a pair of low alcohol beers. “Feel up to chopping for me?”

While the food was cooking, Duo spent a little of his nervous energy clearing up the living room. Heero was out on the balcony, slowly sipping his beer, seemingly entranced by the same river that had drawn Duo into buying this place in the first place. At night, it was simply beautiful and calm. Duo paused in the middle of the room, and decided it was enough. There was still another ten minutes before the food would be ready, so he picked up his beer from the coffee table and walked out to join Heero on the balcony.

“It’s really peaceful here.” Heero murmured as Duo leaned on the balcony with him. 

“Yeah.” 

The silence wasn't uncomfortable. Heero's arm was warm against his, and he found himself taking a quarter step closer. He almost laughed as he felt Heero press back. They were standing so close, elbow to shoulder touching against each other. It was comforting. 

Duo stared out across the water, amused by the feeling of Heero's bicep shifting as he pushed a little harder against Duo. It wasn't hard enough to unbalance him, but Duo leaned into the push. They struggled against each other a little until Heero chuckled, the amusement bubbling out of Duo in a sharp laugh. They glanced at each other, laughing quietly. Heero's steady blue eyes were warm, “I'm glad you called me.” 

“Really?”

“Yes. Even if I had something to eat in the house and I hadn't been stuck in the living room, torn between wanting to eat something or have a shower... I would have still rather you called.” 

Duo didn't know what to say, so instead, reached out with his hand to take a hold of Heero's. They stood there, leaning on the balcony, hands linked. Duo stared at him. “I heard Ames' voice, and I just... I just called you. I knew you'd ...” He scrunched his nose, vaguely embarrassed. “Keep me safe from his voice. He told me to call him, and I didn't want to.” 

Heero squeezed his hand. “It's okay.” 

“I know.” Duo nodded, “I know it's okay. And I...” He laughed quietly, “I only feel a little bit bad about getting you here.” 

“Only a little?”

“Yeah.” Duo nodded and turned his attention back to the water, leaning over until his head touched Heero's shoulder. He felt Heero rest his chin on his crown and breathe. “I get to see you tonight, after four long days without you. Do you know how long the work day is without a lunch break?”

“Feels a lot longer, doesn't it?” Heero's voice was low and fond. 

Duo shifted his head to look up and Heero was so close. It was like gravity. Duo leaned forward, eyes caught on the steady blue. 

Heero made a soft noise and pulled away, putting his bottle on the table before turning to gather Duo into a tight hug. “You don't need to...” He swallowed, “You don't need to put on a show for me. I'm going to be here. I'm going to be your friend.” 

Duo stared at the ceiling, fingers pulling at Heero's shoulderblades. “What if it's not a show?” 

“I'm still going to be here.” Heero tightened his arms a fraction. “I hope you know that.” 

“It's getting there.” Duo closed his eyes. “Part of me still thinks I need to pay you back.” 

“You being in my life again is enough. If we never sleep together, it's going to be okay.”

Duo felt a tension in his shoulders drain away. “Thanks, Heero.” He swallowed, a spark of mischievousness driving him forward to whisper in Heero's ear. “But uh... You still think I'm shit hot, right?” 

Heero stiffened. “Uh. When did I...” He pulled back, his memory kicking in. “Oh yeah.”

Duo delighted in the soft blush in Heero's cheeks, not caring that the smile on his own lips was goofy. 

Somewhere in the apartment, a timer started buzzing and they parted. 

Duo pushed his glasses up his nose, and picked up his own bottle from the table. He swiftly downed the last of the beer. He nodded slowly, “It's not a show, Heero. But I can't tell you how much I... appreciate your control. I like...” he gestured loosely with his bottle, “this.” 

There was a flash of something on Heero's face, and he nodded. “I like it too.” He looked into the apartment, “You should go serve up. I'll be another minute.” 

Duo blinked at the shift in Heero's emotions, something cold came over him. “What did I... what's wrong?”

Heero took a long breath, “I'm … overjoyed that you feel safe with me, but that reminded me that… sometimes... you have not felt safe to express any kind of sexual expression without an expectation of sex.” His right eye flickered slightly, “I'm very angry at Ames for making you feel like that and I need a minute to calm down.” 

Duo was rocked. He stood blinking, staring at Heero. His mind scrabbled for a moment and he reached out to grab Heero's hand. “If we... When we have ... When we ... I know it will be different, because you're not him. Don’t be mad. Please… please don’t be mad.” 

Heero was stiff in his motions, careful as if not to grip Duo too hard. He moved in close, hands open but pressed against Duo's shoulders. “If you and I ever sleep together, I will do everything to show you how good it can be.” He pressed his hands against Duo's back tighter. “But that's not a good reason for us to sleep together. I'm not going to be a contrast to Ames.” His voice dropped a shade as he stepped in close. “I'm going to be your lover.” 

Heero dropped his hands and took a step back. He clenched his hands at his sides. 

“I need that minute.” 

Duo nodded, understanding. “Of course.” 

He turned away and walked back into the kitchen, switching off the timer. He served up the food and took it over to the table. By the time he was going back for cutlery, Heero walked into the room and sat down at the table. 

“Are you...” Duo trailed off, uncertain if he could ask. 

Heero nodded, “I'm better. Still pretty angry, but now I'm kinda kicking myself for ruining the moment.” He pulled his chair in closer, muttering, “We could have kissed. It would have been hot.” 

Duo slid into his own seat, chuckling. “Uh, no. The timer put the kibosh on that.”

* * *

“Uh...” Duo tucked a lock of hair behind his ear, “Thanks again.”

They stood awkwardly at the front door together, Duo leaning against the wall while Heero knelt down to tie up his boots. Heero glanced up at Duo, eyebrows raised. Duo nodded, “Thanks for being here. I'm sorry for... you know.”

“You haven't done anything wrong.” Heero stood and held out a hand. He waited patiently until Duo reached out. He pulled slightly, forcing Duo to take a step closer. “And I'm going to be here for you.” 

Duo's gaze seemed fixed on Heero's hand for a moment before he squeezed back. “Thank you. I'm... you know, I'm working on it.” 

Heero felt his lips quirk into a small smile, and he rubbed his thumb over Duo's hand reassuringly. They were caught staring at each other. Heero was lost in the warmth of Duo's hand, the gentle tension in their grasp of each other. He took half a step closer and let his eyes slip down Duo's face for a moment, trapped on the sight of Duo's lip - half pulled in, teeth pressing delicately on the skin. Heero felt a spike of ... something urgent. It made him pull Duo's hand closer, forcing Duo slightly off balance. It made Duo take another half step forward to compensate and Heero could feel Duo's breath on him. He flicked his gaze up, catching Duo's eyes unfocused and wide, tongue darting out to wet dry lips. 

Heero's breath caught. 

He knew exactly what it was. He wanted. His body wanted. He could feel himself harden. Feel the spiky hot feelings of desire. Ran his tongue over his own lip, wetting it. Narrowed his eyes, as he watched Duo's lips part. Without meaning too, he took a step forward to stand, barely touching Duo. Their hands were clasped low between them, and Heero felt their hands brush the front of his trousers. Felt himself twitch, and perversely hoped Duo felt it.

Duo didn't break their stare, violet eyes becoming more certain, even amusement touching his expression. Heero smiled lazily. 

His smile grew as Duo leaned forward, so close their lips almost brushed each other. 

“Thought that we ... we weren't going to do ...” Duo let his eyes close and it thrilled Heero, “We weren't going to do this.”

Heero raised his free hand and held it close to Duo's cheek, “We did agree.” He gently pulled a lock of hair, and tucked it behind Duo's ear, lingering and lightly running his finger over the rim of Duo's ear. “But I’ve got to keep practicing the control you like so much…” He closed his eyes, enjoying their closeness. “Don’t worry. I'm going to stop here.”

“Are you?” Duo's voice was low, thrillingly throaty. “I'm ... you know, I'm not sure I'd stop you if you... you know.”

Heero pressed his forehead against Duo's. “Don't tempt me.”

“Stones in a glass house, pilot.”

The amusement in Duo's voice struck Heero harder than the tantalising brush of Duo's lips against his own. He almost groaned. “You're not playing fair.”

“Neither are you.” 

Heero felt his body jerk as Duo wiggled his fingers, tapping knowingly against Heero's trousers. He nodded once, and let go of Duo's hand. They both opened their eyes and took a step back from each other. Heero ran a hand through his hair, uncaringly and looked away for a moment to steady himself. “I'm sorry.”

“Oh. Don't. You-- It feels good to be.” Duo's blush was faint, but enough to make Heero's mouth feel dry. The embarrassment on his face was endearing. “You want me, and it feels good to be ... wanted. You know, like... I can see how... much looking at me turns you on. It's been a very long time...” He looked at Heero, his expression wrenching something in Heero. “I’d forgotten what it felt like to be… genuinely wanted… It’s like… Wow.”

Heero swallowed hard, nodding with understanding. He gestured loosely at the door. “I should-- Early start tomorrow, I've got...I’m giving Wufei a lift and…”

“Sure.” Duo nodded, he stepped forward and opened the door. “I mean, thank you.” As Heero passed him, Duo reached out a hand and grasped his forearm. “You don't have to go.” 

Heero smiled, amusement shading his voice, “Yeah, I do.” 

“I know, but...” Duo stared at Heero, “Soon, alright?”

Heero swallowed, nodding silently. 

It was only once he'd gotten home, tiredly falling into bed, that Heero allowed himself to actually think about it. To really appreciate the colour of Duo's eyes, how their shade seemed to darken as arousal appeared in his expression. Heero lay back on his bed, one hand carelessly flung over his face as the other tugged urgently at his trousers, taking himself in hand, roughly tugging. 

As he climbed higher, he pulled at his memory. 

_ “Soon, alright?” _

The memory sent him sitting upright, his hand getting slick as it beat furiously. He could feel his toes curling.

_ “Soon, alright?” _

Violet eyes wide, lips parted. Heero knew he could have stayed the night. His cock pulsed in his hand. He could have stayed the night. Could have been in bed with Duo. He gasped and squeezed, holding off the orgasm. His other hand diving into his pants to tug at his balls. 

In his mind’s eye, he saw Duo leaning forward, lips parted. 

_ “Soon, alright?” _

His climax was so violent, his hips snapped. Heero trembled and fell back.

He lay panting for a long time. 

It had been years. 

Years since he’d felt such… burning need. It was alien, it was weird… it was a shade of purple he’d never noticed before. 

He sighed and closed his eyes. 

* * *

_ Yeah, you can be my lover _

_ 'Cause love looks better in color _

_ (Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah) _

_ It's dark under the covers but love looks better in color _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for your kind words. I'm really grateful and was heartened by them. Of course, the world changes. I find myself still working - grateful but it will be exhausting - and heartbroken by the changes, and the impact it will have on the children I teach.   
Take good care of each other, and where possible I will keep posting. If you're interested, I've so far written up to chapter 19 and have outlined at least up to chapter 24. (This one's a pantser so I have a fuzzy idea how its going to end yet. It could be 25 chapters, it could be 30...)  
If you join me here, thank you so much and I look forward to hearing from you. Keep going, keep going, keep going. You can do this.


	11. Have I seen this all before?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Two steps forward, one step back ... it's all a dance really.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: hahahahahahaha… I’m so old. You know the score.   
Notes: Relationships are hard work.  
Song: Steven Universe – That Distant Shore

_ Then I see the colors fading _

_ Gentleness of light escaping _

_ Shadows of my fear invading _

_ Have I seen this all before? _

* * *

**Your Body’s Poetry**

**By Dr Megalomania**

* * *

_ I know that there's something residing _

_ A terror deep inside me _

_ I couldn't understand how you could be so bold _

* * *

#  Chapter 10: Have I seen this all before?

* * *

Wufei glanced at Heero. Heero was focused on his driving, but there was something distracted in his expression. Heero had been late. It wasn't like Heero to be late. A smirk tugged at Wufei's lips, certainly it was only by two minutes but even if there was traffic, Heero would have accounted for it and left earlier. 

“Late night?” Wufei mused quietly as they shot past the turn off for the coffee drive through. 

Heero blinked as if suddenly realising he's missed the turning. “Uh, yes... sorry, preventer's cafe, I'll buy.” 

“Yes, you will.” Wufei chuckled and folded his arms, sinking into his seat. “So, what kept you up last night? When I dropped you off last night, it sounded like you were going straight to bed.” 

“Duo.” Heero said, his voice low. “Ames left a voicemail on Duo's home line. I went over to keep him company.” 

“Ah, I see why that would make you late this morning.” 

There was a moment's pause before Heero muttered, “Really?” 

Wufei frowned slightly, Heero sounded nervous. He looked at Heero, who shot his a look. 

“We only talked.” Heero insisted, flexing his fingers on the wheel. 

“Yes...” Wufei replied as if it should be obvious, “Then you would have had to either stay over, or come home late.” 

“Yes.” 

“Yes.” Wufei smirked, amused by Heero's expression. “Why are you nervous?” 

“I'm not.” 

“Uh huh.” Wufei replied, deadpan. “Sure.” 

“Let's just drop it.” 

“Okay,” Wufei looked out the window. “I'm going out Friday. Why don't you and Maxwell join me? I'll call Trowa.” 

“You're going out?” Heero sounded incredulous. 

“Yes, to the Matters.” 

Now sounding doubtful, Heero asked, “Really?” 

“Yes, Hasigawa owes me a drink. She owes me two, in fact and I'm going to collect them.” He shifted in his seat to pull out his phone. He started texting the idea to Trowa. “So, you, me, Barton and Maxwell might as well go out together and have a bit of fun.” 

“You do remember that... originally, it was ...” Heero cleared his throat, “It's a singles’ night. Before all the Preventers descended on it.”

“Yes,” Wufei adjusted his glasses, “Well. I'm not dating Tatiana, you're single, Maxwell’s single. Barton can be the designated driver. Let's go enjoy ourselves.” 

“Really? And Hasigawa's buying?” 

“For me, yes. She owes me.” Wufei narrowed his eyes at the thought. “I wonder if I can convince her to swap the sensible colours for a mermaid combo.” 

“Sensible coloured what?” 

“She uh...” Wufei chuckled to himself, “She's been wearing sensible coloured tights for the past month in an effort to cheer me up.” 

“She... why?” 

“Because she always wears these stupid bright coloured tights.” Wufei said as if it should be obvious. “Haven't you noticed?” 

“I have not.” Heero put on the indicator and looked either way. He paused to look at Wufei, “Are we talking about, what? Yellow?” 

“No, more either tangerine or pink... there was one week last June when she wore the pride flag over the course of the week.” 

“Did she?” 

“You can't tell me you haven't noticed, you love stupidly coloured things and she stands out so much.” 

“I really haven't noticed.” 

“Huh.” Wufei shrugged, “Well, she toned down the stupid colours, and I didn't notice. She was a bit mad.” 

Heero made the turn and shook his head, “I don't see why.” 

“She doesn't do anything to make me happy.” 

“Aside from the filing.” 

“Aside from the filing.” Wufei conceded. “And the drinks buying.” 

“And come to think of it, every time we need something from Cyber Crimes, she's always been the first to volunteer.” 

“Well, yes.” Wufei felt a slight blush, he turned his head, vainly hoping to avoid Heero's scrutiny. “She's pretty dependable.” 

“I think that's the first time I've heard you compliment her.” Heero leaned forward to look out the windscreen at the sky, “And yet, the sun is still rising in the east... hmm, I owe Noin a cinnamon bun.” 

“I won't tell her if you don't.” Wufei rolled his eyes at the prospect of Noin finding out. 

“Tempting.” Heero snorted. “I think I'll take you up on Friday. Duo might benefit from doing something out of the ordinary.” He paused, “And... It would be a reason to go out socially with Duo.” 

Wufei nodded, “Yes. I think it would be good for all of us.” He glanced at Heero, noting a slightly distant expression - lost in thought - on Heero's face. “Please remember to turn into work.” 

That snapped Heero out of thought and Wufei smirked.

* * *

“So, what's the plan about Ames?”

Tipping with his phone at the gratuity machine, Wufei picked up the coffee and turned to Heero, handing his over.

“I've advised Duo to contact his police liaison and Preventers' HR. Hopefully they can provide him with some protections.” Heero sipped his coffee, “I wish there was more we could do.”

“But if our cases are to be successful—“

“I know.” Heero nodded, “By the book. And it will be. I just.” He raised a hand to shove it through his hair. “I want to do more for him.”

“Like what?” 

“I don't know. He's...” Heero sighed, “He's ... I want to help him. I want to ...” he sipped his coffee and thought while they waited for the lift. “I want to be there for him.”

“We all do, Heero.”

“No, I mean...”

The lift dinged. Heero stepped in and leaned back against the wall. Wufei looked at him with mild concern. “Are you okay?”

“I don't know. I've not felt this... way before. It's not like it was when we were kids. I feel really bad that Ames happened to Duo.” He breathed in for a moment, “But I'm...”

“Glad it happened?”

Heero snapped his eyes up to meet Wufei's patient gaze.

Wufei smiled tightly. “I'm not going to lie, I'm glad it happened.” He shrugged, “Tatiana wants to get back together, and I don't think I want to.”

Heero blinked in surprise. “Tatiana thinks she has a chance?”

Wufei snorted, “Yes.”

“She destroyed your car.”

“Yes, and stole her sister's credentials and destroyed Duo's car.”

“And she thinks you'll be willing to resume the relationship?”

“Yes, she does.” Wufei shook his head, “And I took a while to reflect. Marriage is something I've wanted for a very long time. But... With Tatiana? I don't think that's the life I wanted.”

The lift dinged and they walked along to their shared office. Wufei sipped his coffee as Heero unlocked their office. “And, besides… I think it’s done you the world of good. Your renewed friendship with Maxwell... I don’t think I’ve ever seen you this happy.” 

“Happy?” Heero shrugged, “I haven’t noticed a difference.”

“Not professionally, no. But…” Wufei moved to his desk and started his computer, “You seem lighter in yourself. It’s hard to explain.” He raised a hand to hold it out, “It’s like you’ve found something to enjoy… you don’t seem so lonely.” 

“I think I understand. I really enjoy spending time with Duo socially… We’ve started playing games together on your console.” Heero checked his emails, and paused to sip his coffee. “I hope you don’t take this the wrong way, but you’re happier without Tatiana. If you decide you want to resume…”

“Oh, no. That’s not going to happen.” Wufei waved a hand dismissively. He seemed to pause and think about something. It was enough to make Heero look up quizzically. Rolling his eyes, Wufei turned his full attention to his computer to avoid Heero’s gaze as he uttered. “I’m… I’m seeing someone else.” 

Heero almost dropped his coffee. “You what?”

Wufei adjusted his glasses, gaze locked on his screen determinedly. “We’ve been on exactly one date to a coffee shop.” 

Heero racked his brain, coming up with a blank. “Who?”

The glare Wufei cast Heero was severe. “I’m not telling you.”

“What?” Heero blinked, taken back. “Why?”

Wufei held his fingers and began counting off. “Because I know you’ll tell Peacecraft—“

“I wouldn’t!”

“-- Peacecraft will tell Noin, Noin will tell Po, Po will tell everyone. I’m not even certain we’re going on another date.” He rolled his shoulders, “So about the meeting with Conzec later—“

“You do not get to drop that and then smoothly move on.” Heero laughed, “How did you meet?”

Wufei sighed heavily, and then nodded. He opened his mouth as if to answer, but his eyes were locked on something on the window sill. Heero followed his gaze, realising too late Wufei was watching the clock. 

“Oh, no.” Wufei said, his voice entirely deadpan. “And would you look at that? We’re on the clock, Yuy. Back to business?”

Heero shook his head, “I will get an answer from you later.”

“Sure you will.” 

* * *

“And then he avoided me for the rest of the day, can you believe it?”

“So, who is he dating?”

Heero paused before he threw the popcorn in his mouth. “Not a clue.” He munched on popcorn for a few minutes before taking a gulp of his drink. “He disappeared at lunch and during our break, and then at the end of the day he was having his afternoon argument with Hasigawa.” 

Duo laughed, lazily moving his controller over so he could reach the popcorn. “She hates him so much. Like, I didn’t notice before, but she’s always trying to do something to irritate him. I don’t know what he did. She has got it out for him. Like… did he kill her father or something?”

“I think existing was enough.” Heero made his character pause in a safe place while waiting for Duo’s character to catch up. “Thanks for coming over tonight, Wufei’s wrong, but …I might have to tell Relena if left to my own devices. I trust I can rely on you not to tell anyone!”

“Hey, my lips are sealed!” Duo held up the controller. “Though, I totally think we should thank Wufei for leaving his games console with you.” 

“It’s just until I finish my campaign.” 

“Yeah, but it’s fun. I’ve never had a games console before.” 

Heero glanced at Duo as the other former pilot pulled off a complicated combo of moves. He scoffed, “For someone claiming to have never played before, you picked it up pretty fast.” 

“Egh, you pilot a Gundam, you pick up fiddly button shit kinda fast.” Duo’s cocky tone dragged a roar of laughter out of Heero. Duo flashed him a grin before diving right back at the game, “Whoa! Shit, shit, shit, shit! There’s a timer!” 

“Okay, I’m on it! I got this!” 

They played for another hour until food arrived, and then they settled together on the sofa to watch a movie. About halfway through, Heero leaned forward to grab some popcorn, only for his fingers to brush nothing but unpopped kernels and crumbs. He tilted the bowl towards himself, “Huh. I’m going to make some more…” he trailed off as he turned his head towards Duo and noticed the other man was asleep, sitting up right. 

Heero chuckled softly. 

Duo’s head was tilted slightly, his arms folded tightly. 

Licking his fingers as he gently shifted, Heero sat back, turned to face Duo. He leaned back against the arm rest, and picked up his phone. He raised it to take a photo, carefully framing the picture on Duo’s face. Fondly, he attached it to a message and sent it to Duo’s phone, smirking at the thought of Duo finding the message later. 

Unfortunately for him, Duo’s phone was loud enough to jolt Duo out of his sleep. Sleepily, Duo shifted to pull his phone out of his pocket and opened one bleary eye to look at the message. He frowned in confusion until he connected the dots and looked up at Heero. “What happened to being shit hot?”

Heero pulled a straight face, “You can’t be shit hot while asleep. Only cute.”

“I’m not cute.”

Heero shrugged, “Science.” 

“Your science is lies.” Duo rolled his neck, and he gestured to the TV. “What happened to the … uh… Thing?”

“When did you fall asleep?”

“I think it was about …” Duo snorted, “uh, after the people got in the car…”

“And?” Heero leaned forward teasingly. 

“Then they drove.”

“Fascinating.” Heero laughed. “So, you’ve been asleep for most of the movie.” 

Duo flopped back, hands on his stomach. “The food was too good. I had to devote my whole attention to it!” 

“Do you want to game instead?” 

Duo raised an arm to peer at his phone, “Uh… do you want to gym tomorrow?”

Heero blinked, “We could do both.”

“Nuh-uh, buddy.” Duo sat up, crossing his legs. “Five am starts mean I gotta go to bed at a sensible hour. If I stay and game… well, I won’t get home to go to bed on time.” He waved his phone, “I leave now, I might get a full 8 hours.” 

Heero squinted, “You can make do on less.”

“You can make do on less; some of us are old and decrepit.”

“You’re not decrepit.” 

“And yet, you do not deny I’m old.” 

Heero snorted. “We’re not old either.” 

Duo stood, scratching the back of his head. “About that though…”

Heero stared up at him. “Are you ever going to wear your hair down again?” When Duo stilled, Heero shook his head, “I’m sorry. You’re right, I’m tired too.” He stopped when Duo held something out to him. Heero frowned and took it. 

It was a hair pin. 

He glanced up at Duo, who looked at him from the corner of his eye. Duo adjusted his glasses, as if nervous. “You don’t need to say sorry.” He reached up, fiddling with the back of his hair. He pulled another pin out. 

He held it out mutely to Heero, who took it, cupping his hand around the two bobby pins. 

They stared at each other, silently, not daring to speak. 

Duo looked away, pulling a pin at a time. He didn’t look at Heero, until his hair fell from its configuration. His braid, shorter than Heero remembered but longer than he thought tumbled down, loosely tied. Duo reached to pull the braid over his shoulder, and hesitantly glanced at Heero. 

Heero swallowed and glanced down at his cupped hands. He shifted forward, hunching slightly over his lap. 

Duo sat down, turned towards Heero. 

They sat staring at each other for a long time. 

Duo sighed. “Please say something.” 

“I’m not sure what I’m thinking is going to make any sense.” 

That caused a quiet chuckle in Duo. “I’ll take anything.”

“I’ve got two thoughts.”

“What’s the first one?” 

Heero blinked. His expression was straight, despite the slight blush that crept up his face. “Your hair is longer than I thought.” 

Duo picked up the end of his braid and held it up. It wasn’t a straight cut, it was neat and Heero realised that it wasn’t something someone would notice unless they knew how long it used to be. “It’s grown back a bit and …” Duo smiled fondly, “I think it was longer than the last time I saw you.” He tilted his head, “What’s the other thought?”

Heero shook his head, “I’m not sure…” He licked his lips, “It’s really not relevant.”

“Tough.” Duo made a face, “You’ve got to tell me.” 

Heero breathed in for a moment, looking away. He nodded once, and narrowed his eyes. “I never really got the concept of strippers before.” 

“Uh… Okay?”

“You know, the whole idea of a strip tease and why some people go so utterly bonkers over it. Never really understood.” 

“I’m not sure I follow, Heero.” 

“Hmm.” Heero smiled, his smile was a little tense. He shifted his hands, moving the pins into one hand so he could hold up one. He shook it slightly. “Can I keep one?”

Duo laughed, “I’ve got thousands of the fuckers, Heero. You can keep them all.” 

“Oh, one will do.” 

Duo reached forward to cup his hand over Heero’s and took the rest of the pins. He tipped them into the popcorn bowl. “You’re being a bit weird.” 

He chuckled as Heero moved a little stiffly. “Yep.” 

“Care to enlighten me?”

“Not sure I want to.” Heero didn’t meet Duo’s gaze, and sat awkwardly with his legs crossed at the knee. Duo glanced down to Heero’s hand, the small pin Heero held against his knee. “But I’m sure, you’ll figure it out.” 

Not feeling at all in danger, Duo wasn’t quite sure what to make of Heero’s strange tension. Heero seemed bemused but somewhat embarrassed. Duo glanced around the room, hoping for some kind of sign. It was only when he looked back at Heero; he noticed that Heero had unsubtly pulled a pillow over his lap. He now sat a little more comfortably, the bobby pin between his hands. He turned it over and over, rubbing his thumb against the ridges of the pin. 

“Oh.” Duo blinked, “Are you…?”

“More than a little turned on.” Heero admitted quietly. He glanced at Duo, blue eyes darting from Duo back to the pin in his hands. “You know that control you like so much? Oh it is being tested.” Heero cleared his throat. “I’m not complaining though.”

“Heero…”

Heero snorted, “Don’t worry; I’m going to start thinking about form 29-dash-gamma.” He flicked the pin in his hands, “In a minute. Any time now…”

Duo shifted closer. “Heero, don’t think about the form.” He shifted onto one knee as if going to stand, “I mean. Can I… can I try something?”

“Uh.” Heero blinked, glancing at his lap for a moment. “If it doesn’t involve me standing up and revealing how turned on I am, sure. What do you want?”

“I want you to hold on to that pin. Don’t let go…” Duo shifted to stand in front of Heero. “And uh… is it okay if I… sit down…” He glanced down, “In your lap?”

When Heero froze, Duo adjusted his glasses and tucked a lock of hair behind his ear. “I just want to…” 

“No, it’s… more than okay.”

Duo smiled slightly. “You’re going to hold onto that pin, don’t drop it.” 

Heero glanced at the pin and held it up in both hands. He raised his hands until he could hold the pin behind his head. He felt his heart stutter in his chest as Duo smiled a little more confidently. Duo’s eyes were intense, his expression almost unreadable but for the smile. Heero felt himself tighten as Duo pulled the pillow off slowly. He felt his body throb as Duo knelt on the sofa, a knee either side of Heero’s hips. Heero stared up, barely daring to breathe as Duo stayed kneeling. 

It felt like forever. 

Then Duo widened his stance, allowing himself to sink down, one hand reaching back to balance on Heero’s knee. 

Closing his eyes, Heero crushed his elbows together for a moment, fighting the urge to move his hips. The pin in his hands was warm now. 

Duo’s hand reached under his elbows to touch his chin. Heero opened his eyes, moving his arms and looked up. Duo’s intensely violet eyes danced in the dim light. “Thanks.”

“I think I should be thanking you.” Heero replied tightly. 

Duo didn’t say anything, but experimentally rolled his hips. When Heero held his gaze, he did it again. Between the distinctive prod in his belly – his mind raced with the realisation Duo was aroused too! - and the sight of Duo’s braid swaying in time with his hips, Heero found himself battling hard to keep his eyes open. He struggled hard against his instinct, but felt his control slipping. “Duo… Duo, I can’t… Please let me…Gotta move …” 

He felt Duo’s hand move, felt both hands move to steady on Heero’s shoulders. Duo’s lips brushed his ear. “Go on then.”

Feeling Duo twine fingers in his hair, Heero groaned and let his hips move, pushing up to meet the roll of Duo’s hips. They moved together until Duo’s body stiffened on top of him. Duo’s lips formed silent words against his ear, every gasp a prayer. They held still for a moment, until Heero tried unsuccessfully to roll his shoulders. Duo sat up and shifted back a bit to allow Heero to bring his hands down. Resting them lightly on Duo’s lap, Heero kept the pin held securely in his hands. 

“Are you okay?” Heero asked quietly. 

“Um…” Duo hummed for a moment, his face flushed. “Yeah.” He nodded toward the pin, “Kinda impressed you held on to it.” 

“You wanted me to.” Heero replied, breathless. “You asked me to hold on to it. And since it meant I could have you on me, on my …” he shifted his hips slightly. “Shit, I might be holding on to this until tomorrow.” 

Duo laughed lightly. “Well, I thought I’d make it worth holding on to. If you’re going … I mean, it’s just a hair clip, it’s not worth anything.” 

Heero snorted and held the pin up between them. It was bent. 

Laughing with him, Duo pulled the pin out of his hands and leaned backward to toss it into the popcorn bowl. 

“Hey, no, that’s mine!” Heero shifted his arms to lean them on the back of the sofa. 

Duo rolled his eyes, unimpressed and dropped the pin in the bowl anyway. “It’s bent.”

“It’s still mine. You said I could keep it.” 

“You can have literally any of the other ones.” 

“But none of them were there for me,” Heero’s tone turned mockingly petulant. “When I needed them.” 

Duo rolled his eyes. “We’ll rescue it later.” He shifted slightly, moving his arms to rest on Heero’s shoulders. “Is this okay?”

“Yes.” Heero replied softly. “Very okay.”

Duo stared at him for a long time. Heero wasn’t sure what he was thinking until a soft expression appeared on his face and he leaned forward. Duo’s eyes slipped closed just a moment before he kissed Heero. His hands crept into Heero’s hair, traced his jaw. Heero kissed him back, gentle and open. He gripped the back of the sofa. When Duo broke the kiss, Heero tried to catch his breath. Duo licked his lip, softly running a finger over Heero’s face. 

“Uh…” Heero blinked slowly, trying to calm his body. “Want to go out on Friday?”

“To the Matters?” Duo chuckled softly at the abrupt change of subject, “Sure.” 

“Cool.”

Duo sat back a bit, tilting his head. “So uh… I’m probably gonna head on home.” 

“Sure.”

“Wanna get home before … you know, get changed before things get sticky.”

“Uh huh.” Heero smiled, a little helpless. He was surfing high and was well aware his expression was dreamy, “I’m not going to stop you. I’m pretty sticky too. But I don’t know if I care enough… I’d stay like this for the rest of the night if you wanted.”

“I know.” Duo pushed a lock of hair back, “Kinda blowing my mind a bit. You’re really going to just let me leave.” 

“Oh yeah. See I have a dastardly plan. I’m going to treat you right and then maybe, just maybe you’ll undo your braid for me and we’ll do this again.” 

That made Duo laugh out loud. “You’ve seen me with my hair down before! It’s nothing special!”

“Yes, and I was fifteen years old with a chemically restrained sex drive, a bludgeoning trauma treasure trove and not a clue about what turned me on.” Heero smiled lazily, “Now? I just came from you taking your hair down and whispering ‘go on then’ in my ear.” He looked at Duo, slowly from his head to where his lap was positioned. “I feel… I feel reckless. It’s been a while. A really long while.” 

Duo’s eyes flickered as he quickly did the maths. “Since Relena?”

Heero nodded slowly. “I just… I’ve never felt anything for anyone else. You…” He shook his head, “You’ve come back in my life, looking glorious and… you’re so precious to me.” 

“And if I leave tonight?” Duo asked, his voice low and uncertain. “I walk out that door, and we’re done for the night.”

“You’re still precious. I’m still your friend. I’ll walk you to the door and dream about this tonight.”

“If I want to stay tonight and we go much further?”

“I’m still going to be there tomorrow morning at the gym and hope you’ll join me for lunch.” 

Duo stared at him, his expression unreadable for a moment. “And if we got going, and I wanted to stop?”

“Then we stop.” Heero blinked at the line of questioning, “And I’m still your friend.” He looked up, thinking it through. “I have a shower and offer you a change of clothing and a chance to talk it though if you want.”

Duo seemed to think for a moment, his shoulders tensing. “And if we never do anything like this again?”

“I will respect that. And all of the above will happen. Tomorrow, lunch and my friendship.” Heero glanced to the side, “Though I will be keeping all the hair clips. Not just the bent one.” 

That made Duo laugh again. “Uhhhh. Why all of them?” 

“You’ll never know why.” Heero made an exaggerated expression, “I can respect you, but I’m also not dead and you have no idea how shit hot you are right now.” 

Duo gave a slight snort, his face not quite fully amused. “And if I say you have to give me all the hair clips, including that bent one?”

Heero paused, glancing from the table to Duo. “Then you get them back. No questions asked.” He blinked, suddenly concerned by the expression on Duo’s face. Amusement seemed to war with something else in his violet eyes. “I’m sorry. Uh, if you need to get up… you can. Please don’t—“

Duo looked at him, suddenly. Alarm in his eyes. “You haven’t…” A brief look of fury arched over his face, his fingers pulled at the hair tie and he hurriedly pulled his hair out of the braid. He stared at Heero, violet eyes darting from Heero’s face to the sides. 

Heero felt cold, but he waited. Not sure at all about what anything Duo was doing, but knew that he just should wait. 

“Shit. Shit!” Duo’s eyes welled up, and he scrambled backwards. Slipping out of Heero’s lap, and standing up. He paced for a few moments, tying his hair back into a sloppy braid. Once he’d replaced the hair tie, he stood still and pulled off his glasses. He wiped a hand over his face and then looked at Heero. 

Heero shifted on the sofa, leaning forward with his hands on his knees. 

“Look, you…” Duo paused and swallowed, “I… I fucked up. Got to thinking about how … maybe Ames had… you weren’t…” He pursed his lips and looked down. “I’m seeing a therapist… I figured I should probably get some help. And um…” He looked at Heero, nervously. “I want to be with you … for the right reasons but … What if… we get together and I fuck up again?”

“I don’t know.” Heero answered honestly, “I don’t have much experience with relationships. I just know… I’m very attracted to you. But if the prospect of having a sexual element to our relationship is giving you concern… then…” He smiled faintly, “I think we’re both perfectly capable of walking away.”

The creeping horror in Duo’s eyes was hard to take. “I don’t want to lose you.”

“You won’t. I just mean …” He held up his hands helplessly. “We can be around each other without sex.”

“And you’d still want to be, what?” Duo was doubtful and that hurt Heero in a way he couldn’t explain. “Friends?”

“I told you, I’m going to be there.” Heero stood up and fished the bent bobby pin out of the bowl. He held it out to Duo. “I don’t want to have sex with you and lose you. I’d rather keep being … just friends.” 

Duo stared at the bent pin, “Can I think about it?”

Heero smiled ruefully, “Of course.” 

Taking the pin, Duo rolled his shoulders and looked at his watch. “I should get going.” 

“Yeah. I’ll um…” Heero bent to pick up the popcorn bowl. “I’ll understand if you’d like to give the gym a miss tomorrow.” 

“I’ll be there.” Duo replied, his voice reasonably sure. “The Matters too.” 

“Cool.” Motioning the exit, Heero walked Duo to the door. 

They paused awkwardly at the entrance, and Heero didn’t quite know what to say. He held the popcorn bowl in his arms, tucked against his stomach. Duo seemed to take a little longer to lace his boots up. When he finally straightened, Heero smiled slightly. “Get home safely, Duo.”

Duo stared at him for a moment. “Sorry about—“

“It’s okay. I shouldn’t have—“

“No.” Duo’s voice was a little forceful. “No, it was great. I had … I had a brilliant time.” He took a couple of steps forward, “Just… be patient with me?”

“I’d rather be your friend. More than anything.” 

Nodding, Duo raised his hand and dropped the bent pin in the bowl. “I know. You don’t know how much it means to me to know that.” He held Heero’s gaze. “Keep the pin, Heero. I’ll see you tomorrow morning.” 

“See you tomorrow.” 

* * *

_ It all became so lovely _

_ Those bluest skies above me _

_ Those funny feelings I had never felt before I met you _

_ I thought I'd stay a while _

_ I tried to learn to smile _

_ So many colors I had never even known _

_ Maybe I'll find myself sitting on that distant shore _

_ Maybe I'm not alone _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for joining me again. I hope you are well, taking it all very seriously, staying at home and making sure you're careful. Don't forget to moisturise your hands, washing them so often dries your skin.   
I'm adjusting to this new reality, though the irrational thought that this is some kind of elaborate joke keeps bubbling up.   
So, instead, I'm slowly writing and therefore feeling confident enough to post another chapter. Heero and Duo take another step forward together...! Let me know what you think! And as ever, thank you for being here with me. You're wonderful. Keep going, keep going, keep going!


	12. One of these things

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You know that one of these things is not like the others, you're never going to find a lover like...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: hahahahahahaha… I’m so old. You know the score.   
Notes: Relationships are hard work.  
Song: Taylor Swift - Me

* * *

_ But one of these things is not like the others _

_ Like a rainbow with all of the colors _

_ Baby doll, when it comes to a lover _

_ I promise that you'll never find another like _

* * *

**Your Body’s Poetry**

**By Dr Megalomania**

* * *

_ And when we had that fight out in the rain _

_ You ran after me and called my name _

_ I never wanna see you walk away _

_ (And there's a lot of lame guys out there) _

* * *

#  Chapter 11: One of these things 

* * *

Wufei stared at his phone for a long time before finally pushing the call connect button. He straightened up in his car seat and stared out as it rang. 

“I didn’t expect to hear from you.” Marta’s voice was low, there was a noise in the background and Wufei could guess she was moving out of a room. “Are you going to refuse?”

“I’m going to meet with her.” Wufei replied, staring straight ahead. “To say goodbye.”

“She’ll try to find a way to change your mind.”

Wufei found himself smiling slightly. “I think I’ve found a reason to walk away, Marta. I’m very certain that this will be a meeting to let her know it’s over.” 

Marta huffed, “At last, you grow a spine.” Her voice got a little softer, filled with pride. “You’re a good man, Wufei. You deserve better.”

“I don’t know if I’ve found better.” He shrugged even though she couldn’t see him, “But I think I’ve found something different.”

“Hah!” Marta snorted, “Sally will tell me everything. I’ll email you to sort out a meeting.” She sounded fond as she said finally, “Enjoy yourself.”

“Thanks Marta.” Wufei hung up and then began getting out of the car. He checked the time. He had a while before he was due to meet Heero and Duo for breakfast. He began texting Hasigawa.

* * *

Duo braided his hair slowly. He stared at his fingers as they pulled his hair in a familiar pattern, but he also used the mirror to occasionally check in on Heero. Heero was doing his laces up on his boots, not really paying attention to Duo. Duo swallowed and rolled his eyes at the drama in his head. He picked up a hair tie and tied off his hair. It felt weird. Good weird he decided. The braid lay over his shoulder, a familiar weight despite the time he’d been without it. He shifted it over his shoulder, took a glance in the mirror to check his uniform. Straightened his tie.

Ignored the little whisper in his head. 

He pulled on his glasses, ran his fingers through his bangs. Adjusted his collar again and then nodded to himself. Walked away from the mirror with purpose and picked up his gym bag. Looking up from his phone, Heero glanced at him and Duo smiled. “You ready?”

“Uh.” Heero’s eyes darted to his hair and back. “Yes?”

“Good.” Duo aimed to light, trying not to enjoy Heero’s confusion too much. “So, Wufei’s meeting us at the café?”

Heero checked his watch, “Yes. We’ve got about 30 minutes. We’re running a little early.” 

“Cool, let me just drop my bag off.” 

“I’ll walk with you.”

By the time they’d dropped off Duo’s gym bag, the pair arrived with 20 minutes left before Wufei was due to join them for breakfast. Heero ordered a coffee and a bagel. Duo picked a muffin with his latte. They sat at a table near the window, eating quietly. Duo watched Heero. The light caught on Heero’s dark hair, catching the grey hairs thinly threading the other’s head. Worried he was staring, Duo made an effort to sip his latte and then look around the café. Other agents were starting to filter in. He nodded to others he knew from his division and almost laughed when he saw one person do a double take and walk into another agent. He turned his attention back to Heero. Heero was looking out the window now, enjoying his coffee. Duo turned his head to follow his gaze only to realise Heero was subtly watching him in the reflection. Heero smiled slightly, caught. 

Duo sat forward, resting his chin in his hand and raised his latte in a mock toast. 

Heero tapped his coffee against the cup. “What are we toasting?”

“The fact that there are people who – like you – didn’t know I was me.” Duo chuckled lightly. “Doris just walked into Berkins.”

Heero twisted his neck to look and Duo laughed. 

“I’m sure Berkins will now proceed to grill me for everything I know.” Heero muttered as he gave up looking. “How could he not know you work here!?”

“I kept myself pretty low key,” Duo smiled slightly, “My transfer here was to get me somewhere I wouldn’t be so well known. Who knew I was going to be here with you?”

“And Wufei.” Heero added thoughtfully, “And… Noin, Zechs and Une… I mean it is central headquarters, the chances of any of your friends working here was pretty high.”

“Maybe I got myself transferred to somewhere I knew I could get help without realising it.” Duo sipped his drink, rested his chin on his hand again and stared out the window. “Any way you cut it. I’m lucky.”

When Heero didn’t answer, Duo blinked and looked at him. 

As if waking up, Heero shook his head. “Yes.” 

“What?”

“Nothing.” 

“What?!” Narrowing his eyes, Duo pressed, “Do I have something on my uniform?”

“No, you just…” Heero rolled his eyes and fiddled with his coffee. “You look nice in the light.” 

Duo wrinkled his nose, “Whaaat?”

“Look, just… do that again. I’ll show you!” Heero made a vague motion while pulling out his phone. “The whole looking out of the window wistfully.” 

“I was not being wistful!” Duo protested while he moved to replicate his earlier position. He tried to look at Heero who shook his head, focused on the phone in front of him.

“No, no… you weren’t looking at me. Look out the window!”

Duo couldn’t help the snort of laughter as he complied with Heero’s demand. “Just take the damn photo!” 

“Okay… no, one more!”

“Heero!” 

“Just… the light wasn’t quite… hang on…” There was the noise of a chair scraping back, and Heero moving back a few steps. 

Duo rolled his eyes slightly – “Don’t make a silly face!” Heero called, “Look wistful!” - and refocused his eyes on the street in front of the building. He spotted Riko at the gate. She stood out in the seat of Preventers in their green and grey uniforms. Unusually for her, her hair was tidily up, two braids either side of her face. She seemed to be waiting, looking down at her phone with a small smile. 

There was a scrap of the chair, and Heero sat down again. “Here you go.” He held his phone forward. “As you can see, you look nice.” 

Duo leaned forward to peer at the phone, he raised a hand to flick to the next picture. “How many did you take?” 

“Maybe a few. I’ll figure out which one’s the best one.”

“And delete the rest?” Duo took Heero’s phone off him to flick through the photos. Some were up closer and some were further away. 

“No.” Heero made a face like that was a stupid idea. It made Duo chuckle. He got to the one of him sleeping on Heero’s sofa. In it, the light was soft and Duo though he looked unconcerned. He glanced at Heero. 

“You’re pretty good at taking pictures.”

“Egh.” Heero shrugged, “Anyone can line up a good shot with phones these days.”

“What are you two weirdos doing?” Wufei’s voice was dry. He pulled a chair out and settled beside them. Heero shrugged with one shoulder, taking back his phone. Wufei narrowed his eyes at the moment but was interrupted before he could say anything.

“Oh shit.”

They turned and looked. Hasigawa stood with her coffee in hand, pointing at Duo. She glanced briefly at Wufei before smiling awkwardly. “Hey, Maxwell. Loving the hair. See you upstairs?”

Duo nodded, “Sure.”

“Cool. Cool.” Hasigawa took a couple of steps back, “See you later.”

The three watched her leave before Heero turned to Wufei. “I see what you mean about the tights.”

Wufei made a gesture with his hand. “Exactly.”

Duo tilted his head as he watched Riko walk away. “Shit.”

“What’s wrong?” Heero asked quietly.

“Well, either I forgot about a meeting today…” Duo gestured towards Hasigawa’s retreating back, “Or she wants to feel tall today.” At Heero’s confused expression, Duo leaned forward to say, “Heels. Heero, she’s wearing heels.”

Wufei snorted. “We have got to do something about your eyes…”

* * *

Quatre settled himself into the home desk setup, hot chocolate steaming beside him as he tapped away at the computer interface. He slipped a headphone bud into his ear and checked his watch. He did a quick mental calculation and rolled his eyes at himself - okay, he was a little early... by thirty minutes. 

He logged into the communication hub anyway so Trowa could ring him, and opened up his emails. A few dozen unread from various friends and family. He sighed and started hacking away at them. Some only required one line or two acknowledging that yes, he was still alive and no, he wasn't too bogged under with work, yes Trowa’s place had everything he needed. He set a couple more to unread, knowing they'd need more of his attention than he had to give today. He sat back for a moment, cupping his hands around his drink. 

A soft repeating tone began, and he raised a hand to push the multi-use button of his headphones. “Hello?” 

“Hi.” Trowa's voice was low and warm, “How are you?” 

Quatre smiled warmly, even though his lover could not see him. “Fine, missing you though.” He clicked through to his emails, "I'm glad to see you've begun booking your flight home.” 

“Truth be told, much as I love our friends, I'd much rather curl up with you at night.” He sounded rueful, “Even jumped online a few minutes early hoping to catch you.” 

“You're only twenty minutes early.” 

“How long have you been waiting?” 

“Not long.” Quatre chuckled at Trowa's knowing tone. He made a gesture at the screen, bringing up the news article he'd saved earlier. “I've been keeping an eye on the news, but I don't think I've seen anything about Duo's ex-boyfriend.” 

“I believe the Preventers are handling it as it was an attack on their grounds.” Trowa didn't sound convinced but he sighed, “It will protect Duo from having much more to do with Amadeus.” 

“I am perfectly willing to—”

“We know, love.” Trowa cut in quickly, “but Duo doesn't want to.” 

Quatre took a breath slowly, “Very well. But he knows...?” 

“He knows.” Trowa reassured him, “Rest assured, he knows.” 

“I hope so.” Quatre paused to sip his coco, he thought for a moment while he closed the tab he had open. “How's Wufei coping?” 

“Well, considering the circumstances. I think some part of him is relieved to have a reason to be out of the prospective wedding.” There was a deep amusement in Trowa's voice, “I think perhaps he knew it wouldn't work. They were a year away and still no real date or guest list drawn up.” 

“Hmm. That doesn't sound like Wufei.” Quatre smirked, “Not even a plan?” 

“Not even a plan.” Trowa's chuckle was a soft song in Quatre's ears. 

“Is it wrong of me to be glad?” Quatre admitted ruefully, “I don't think I liked the way Tatiana was treating Wufei.” 

“Hmm.” Trowa agreed, “Yes. From what I've gathered, I suspect that Wufei has protected us from her worst features. It's a shame about her sisters though, I quite liked the younger one.” 

“Perhaps Wufei will not entirely cut ties.” 

“Perhaps.” Trowa sounded doubtful. There was a quiet pause for a moment, and Quatre took the moment to sip his cocoa. “I'm looking forward to coming home, Quatre.” Trowa admitted in a low voice, “I miss you a lot.” 

“I miss you too, my love.” Quatre replied quietly, “I certainly have not been falling asleep hugging your pillow.” 

“Hah.” 

“I definitely haven't been watching that video of you laughing over and over.” 

Trowa sounded wistful. “It's hard knowing you're so far away.” There was a shuffle in the background, and Quatre had the idea that Trowa had moved to lie back. It was mid-morning on Earth. 

Quatre sipped his hot chocolate, humming. “I also miss your hot cocoa. You’re much better at it than me.”

“I’m sure if you ask Arla nicely she’ll make you a cup.”

“Arla doesn’t like me as much as she likes you.” 

Trowa’s amusement was clear, “You just need to listen to her for a while. She just wants to share her love of her family.”

Drawing a knee up, Quatre leaned on his leg. “You just get people.”

“You just don’t have enough time.” Trowa replied. “You should look at taking more time off.”

Quatre blinked, glancing at the paperwork he had beside him. Trowa couldn’t know, he’d only downloaded the forms today to look at it. 

“Love?”

Quatre swallowed. “I’m thinking about it.” He said, swallowing the automatic lie that his brain tried to supply. “I am just looking at some options, and you caught me off guard.”

Trowa was quiet for a moment. “What are you thinking?”

"I'm not sure." Quatre took a sip of his cocoa. "It's not a fully formed thought. Can I... Can I think about it more?"

"Of course love." 

Quatre winced at the poorly hidden concern. "I want to do something to help. I'm not happy in my job." 

"Just your job?"

"I'm not sure." Quatre raised a hand to rub his forehead, "I want to do something good."

"Your charity work--"

"It's not enough." Quatre sat up, shaking his head. "That there are still people like Ames and... Duo could have been killed. My job is in the way of my family. I almost lost you because I spent so much time at my job I couldn't recognise you were unhappy."

Trowa was silent for a moment. "We've moved forward together."

"We have." Quatre agreed, "But I want to consider all my options. What use is Winner Inc if I can't live my life?"

Trowa's amusement was the last thing Quatre expected. "There we both agree. Think about it, and let me know what you are thinking."

"Of course." Quatre glanced at the time, "So, what's on your agenda for this week? Did you install the cat-toy?"

"Toy is an understatement. Pumpkin now allows Wufei to keep a bed in her apartment." 

"It's not too big, is it?" Quatre opened the link to the cat-gym he'd bought. "I thought I had the measurements--"

"Perfect." Trowa smoothly interrupted. "They were perfect, love. I'm teasing you." He paused, "Though you should probably not buy any more for him. At least until Pumpkin has gotten used to the cat-gym."

"I make no promises." Quatre replied airily, "Pumpkin deserves the best in life."

"You only met her for half an hour."

Quatre sniffed and muttered, "I'd kill everyone in this house and then myself if harm ever came to that kitten."

Trowa's laughter was pure and warmed him more than any hot chocolate. 

* * *

_ Strike the band up, one, two, three _

_ You can't spell "awesome" without "me" _

_ You're the only one of you _

_ Baby, that's the fun of you _

_ And I promise that nobody's gonna love you like me-e-e  _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much! You're really very wonderful and it's been tough times and I hope you're coping with it okay. Take care of yourself please!


	13. Ignore all the butterflies

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: hahahahahahaha… I’m so old. You know the score. 
> 
> Notes: Relationships are hard work.
> 
> Song: Sia - Never Gonna Leave Me

_ We are anything but unremarkable _

_ We found things that we have given up on _

_ We were two peas in a pod _

_ Oh yeah _

* * *

**Your Body’s Poetry**

**By Dr Megalomania**

* * *

_ Pleasing me seven good deeds _

_ I'm a man of strengths a man indeed _

_ We found things we had given up upon _

* * *

**Chapter 12: Ignore all the butterflies**

* * *

Heero was saving his notes, when he spotted someone in the reflection of his tablet. He looked up, the meeting had finished a few minutes ago and the agents who were milling about were discussing their actions. Heero stared at the agent standing beside him. "Berkins?"

Berkins took that as some kind of permission, because he slid into the chair next to Heero and leaned forward intently. "Agent Yuy." 

"Yes?"

Berkins looked excited. "You didn't mention that Agent Maxwell was working in Cyber Crimes here at headquarters." He pulled out his phone and made a few gestures. "Apparently he's been working there for months!"

"Yes." Heero glanced around the room, spotting Wufei. Wufei was deep in conversation with Doris. 

"He hasn't joined any of the bowling teams." 

"Not to my knowledge."

"Do you think we could get him to join the active division?"

"I don't know if he bowls, Berkins." Heero narrowed his eyes at Wufei, willing him to at least make the quarter turn needed to make eye contact.

"You need to find out."

"Really though?"

"We can't have him slumming it with Cyber Crimes, they barely made the league last year!" Berkins sounded appalled. "A gundam pilot in cyber crimes is just a waste of talent!"

"He likes it."

Berkins was silent enough to make Heero give him his attention. The appalled look combined with Berkins' naturally puppy dog looks never failed to sway Heero. "I'll ask him."

"I knew I could count on you, Agent Yuy!" Berkins bounced right back. "Can you believe it? We're going to have three of five Gundam pilots on one team! Forensics will be devastated."

"Uh huh." Heero returned his gaze to Wufei, only to catch a quick smirk. Heero curled his lip, shaking his head. 

"... and I understand Trowa Barton will be joining us at the Matters this Friday?"

Heero blinked, glancing at Berkins. "How did you...?"

"Oh." Berkins smiled warmly. "That was just a punt, but you've confirmed it!"

Heero looked up, replaying the conversation in his head before wincing and then pinching his nose tiredly. "Honestly, Berkins. One day."

"Yes, yes. Agent Yuy, one day you're going to kill me." Berkins jumped up, "Right, must run. Doris and I have a couple of interrogations to complete."

Heero was left staring after Agent Berkins for so long, Wufei was able to sit on the edge of the table and quietly laugh at him. Heero shook his head slowly. “People used to be afraid of me, Chang.”

“That’s your own fault for letting your guard down around Berkins. He’s not just the Bowling team captain for Active, he is our best interrogator.” He chuckled lightly. “I’m just glad he was on our side during the war.”

* * *

“Hey. So are you, like… Duo Maxwell, as in the Gundam Pilot Zero Two of Gundam Deathscythe and later in the war, the upgraded Gundam Deathscythe Hell?”

Duo looked up from his screen. Riko was leaning over his desk, looking intent. He glanced around, a lot of his co-workers had subtly stopped typing as well. He looked back at her. “Uh… Yeah. Didn’t you realise?”

Riko made a weird moan and clapped her hands over her face. “You mean every time I made those stupid jokes about you being Zero Two because you had the same name…!”

“I thought you were serious.” Duo laughed uneasily. “I mean, who doesn’t know who I am?”

“Oh my god, someone kill me.” Riko moaned from behind her hands, “I’ve been taking the piss out of the best Gundam pilot for months and I didn’t know!” She slid down to her knees by his desk, despondently, shaking her head slowly. “Chang’s going to have an orgasam.”

Duo blinked, “You really didn’t realise it was me?” 

“Excuse you.” Loris called from the next desk over. He gestured his head, “The glasses! The hair! Like it is your number one feature! Dude! Why didn’t you tell us?”

“It’s not a big thing! Nobody asked, it’s not like I was sitting here with a different name and a wig!” Duo looked at Loris with an incredulous expression. “I just wanted to get on with the job.”

“Fuck the job, you’re joining the bowling team!” Loris pointed at him, furious. “Active Duty have two gundam pilots!” 

“Yuy doesn’t bowl.” Duo said with some certainty. “I mean, like, can you imagine Heero Yuy bowling?”

“Tell that to Forensics, Active beat them last competition with a strike like he’d shot it outta Wing Zero!” Loris made a wide gesture with his arms and rocked back. “I’ve been asking for a Gundam Pilot Handicap!” 

“You’ll never get it,” Riko snorted and then waved at the other guy, “Loris, give him a break.” Riko slid into a chair next to Duo, “So… like, you know Agent Chang, right?”

“I’m not going to help you irritate him. He’s a good guy.”

“Uh huh. Gundam Brahs for life!” Rolling her eyes, Riko waved him away, “But in all seriousness, I need some help with his case. Your caseload is looking kinda light, and you’ll probably get less resistance from Chang over the evidence thing, right?”

“Probably.”

“Cool. Cool.” 

“That’s it?” Duo narrowed his eyes at her suspiciously. 

“Yep. That’s it.” Riko nodded, she tucked a lock of hair behind her ear casually. “So you coming to the Matters, on Friday?”

“Yeah.” 

Riko nodded slowly, “Great. Cool.” She held up a hand, and placed the other over her heart. “I, Riko Hasigawa - your fellow Cyber Crimes agent, we’re family really - will never ask you for embarrassing stories about Agent Chang Wufei - even though he’s a pompous asshole from Active Division and despite the fact you’ve probably got photographic evidence - for as long as we work together…” She paused to look up innocently, “In exchange for one small favour.”

Duo glanced at Loris who shrugged. “I dunno, man.”

“What’s the favour?” Duo asked, squinting at her.

Riko dropped her hands onto the table, and she leaned in close with a look of fake desperation on her face. “You never tell him that I didn’t recognise you.” She smiled hopefully, “You just know he’ll never let that go and you’re a part of our family now.” 

Loris laughed loudly while Duo chuckled, he held out a hand. Riko took it and shook. 

“We have a deal, Riko.” Duo announced, leaning in closer to her. “As long as you never tell him that I didn’t realise you’ve been talking about him all this time as That Pompous Asshole From Active!” He shrugged, “Considering what we used to call him back in the war, it should have been obvious!”

“Okay. Gonna come back to that later.” Riko waved her hand dismissively, “The Active Duty task force entry requirements is pompous and assholery, you couldn’t have known.”

* * *

She was just packing up for the afternoon when her phone vibrated. Sally checked it, and was surprised by what she read. Nodding to herself, she made up her mind. She picked up her bag and said goodbye to her co-workers. She walked out and made her way to the lift. She waited until the doors closed before making her phone call. “Fire, feel like helping my son get some?”

She paused and listened. 

“Ew. No. How did you even… you know what? Never mind.” She waved a hand, “You still here? Oh, good. Still in your office? And what about Farts?”

Sally smirked as the doors binged as they opened. She stepped out, hanging up as she walked into Noin’s office. Noin was leaning against her desk, laughing as Zechs was ranting into the phone. “Wind! Where on earth did you get Farts? I’m shocked by your lack of respect, honestly--”

Sally leaned against the door. “After all we’ve been through, after all these years!”

Zechs spun and held up a finger, “How dare you!”

“Come on, Farts.” Sally shook her head, “Chang’s out kicking the crazy out of his life. We gotta go help him get some.”

Noin stood up, “Ooh, and we can watch? Because let me tell you, I called it.” She elbowed Zechs as she passed, “Told you she was a hot mess.” Noin rubbed her hands together, “I cannot wait to tell Relena.”

* * *

While he waited for his coffee, Wufei checked his phone again. Hasigawa had seen his message, but hadn’t replied. He briefly thought about calling her but dismissed it. Maybe she didn’t have time to reply to his message. He started typing something only to delete it moments later. He found a seat near the window.

He’d decided to start putting his phone away, when Hasigawa called him. He slipped the headphones in, leaving his phone on the table. He pressed the answer button. “Chang.”

“Hey.”

“Hi.” He replied, “Funny you should call.”

“Just saw you start typing and then deleted whatever you wrote, and remembered you had a pretty high maintenance ex-girlfriend. Figured you might have some PTSD about read-receipts” He could almost hear her rolling her eyes. “I’m a ‘reply when I feel like it’ kinda person. You said you were meeting someone after work; guess we’re not going to have time for the afternoon argument.”

“No. Is that… okay?”

“Oh boy.” Hasigawa sighed, “Now, we don’t have time to unpack all of that. But Chang. It’s me. If I have a problem, I guarantee you, you will know.”

Wufei snorted. “And it will come with my evidence robbed the next day.”

“I will rob your evidence the next day.” Hasigawa said at the same time. She laughed, “So, what are you worrying about?”

“Who said I’m worrying?” Wufei glanced around. The café was relatively quiet for the time of day.

“Nobody worries that much about read receipts.”

Wufei sighed, nodding as he stirred his coffee. “I’m meeting my ex in about 10 minutes.”

“Oh.”

He paused.

“I mean. Like oh! I wouldn’t piss on her if she was on fire… not, oh, I’m super disappointed you’re meeting her, person I’ve recently asked to start going out with me.” Hasigawa said quickly. “Are you meeting her because you need to?”

“I need to end things with her properly.”

“Does--” Here she adopted what he could only assume was an imitation of his voice. “-- ‘hey, you bitch, you don’t try anything with the other pilots. Gundam brahs for life!’ not work?”

“Gundam bras?” Wufei rolled his eyes, “We do not say that.”

“So, what you’re saying is that there’s a secret code. What’s the secret code? Is it a handshake? Please tell me there’s a handshake. Oh my god, do you have a secret knock?”

Wufei laughed, “Calm down, woman.”

“What, do we need to get past date five for the gundam secrets? Because I’m telling you now, I think my boy Maxwell here will break long before that. Berkins owes me a favour, and everyone knows not even Heero-Like-a-Vault-Yuy can stand up to Berkins.”

That made Wufei laugh freely. “Date five, I’ll tell you everything.”

“Are we counting the coffee shop?”

“I am.”

Hasigawa snorted, “You’re such a dork.” Then quieter. “Me too.”

“Dork.”

“Bell-end.”

Wufei smiled fondly, tapping his spoon off the side of his coffee. “What are you wearing tomorrow?”

“Wouldn’t you like to know?”

He sipped his coffee, “I’m working on the system. I’ll crack it.”

“Bold of you to assume there’s a system, Chang.”

“Tangerine.”

“Ugh. It’s pumpkin spice, you uneducated dolt.” Hasigawa lowered her voice, “Why don’t you pick a colour?”

Wufei stared ahead without really seeing anything, bemused by the strange feeling she gave him. “Thought colour picking rights came later.”

“They do.”

“What’s with the mercy, Hasigawa?”

She sighed softly, “You’re gonna catch some shit today.” His eyes closed as she spoke, her voice low. “And you’re going to need a pick me up tomorrow, so pick your colour, dork.”

He thought for a long moment. Long enough for her to quietly ask if he was still there. “Thinking Hasigawa. I know, you’re unfamiliar with the concept.”

“Ass.”

“Mermaid.”

“Jokes on you, I am a mermaid.”

“The colour.” Wufei opened his eyes and looked out the window, “I want to see that kingfisher blue with fishnets combo.”

Her snort was soft but her voice was warm. “Romantic, huh?”

Wufei chuckled. “I’ll deny everything.” He sobered when his eyes landed on someone he recognised. “I’ve got to go.”

“Don’t you dare end this sweetly, Chang. Charge yourself up!” Hasigawa snapped suddenly. “Take this bitch down with the same kind of energy you used to take down Oz Bases! Destroy her!”

“Hasigawa…” Wufei rolled his eyes, “I’m only tying off a former relationship with a formal declaration.”

Hasigawa’s voice was filled with unholy glee. “Use your beam scythe on her!”

Before Wufei could refute her claim, she hung up on him. He picked up his phone fully intended to call her back when his phone pinged with a message.

_ I know your gundam didn’t have a beam scythe, asshole. Focus! _

Before he had a chance to reply, he heard the chair in front of him scrape back. Marta stood in front of him with Tatiana just behind her. Marta nodded to him, “Wufei.”

“Marta.” Wufei replied, he extended a hand. “It’s good to see you.”

“Hmph.” Marta shook his hand briskly. “I see you have a drink.” She glanced at Tatiana, “Sit. I’ll get a drink for all of us. The same, Wufei?”

He simply tipped his head toward her. “Please.”

Marta gestured to the chair she’d pulled out. “Sit.”

Tatiana rolled her eyes, but sat gracefully. She smiled at Wufei, waiting until Marta was out of ear shot. “You know… We don’t need her.”

“We do.” Wufei sat back, sipping his drink. “I’d like to ensure that you are fully aware of the purpose of this meeting.”

“Why are you talking like that?” Tatiana huffed, folding her arms. “Ugh, is this what the rest of our relationship is going to be like?”

Wufei almost choked but smoothly put his cup down. “We’re not in a relationship. Not any more.”

“Yes, yes.” She replied dismissively. “We’re on a break. You need some time to think. I need to…” She straightened her shoulders. “Reflect on my attitude.”

Wufei stared at her at her for a long time. “I see I wasn’t clear enough.” He glanced over his shoulder, making eye contact with Marta. She was next in line to put in her order, but she nodded to him all the same. He smiled at her sadly. He looked back at Tatiana.

She looked spectacular. Her makeup was perfect, her hair was carefully styled, she looked beautiful but for the pout. There had been a time when he would have found it adorable. 

“Look, it’s just a blip. Every relationship goes through one.”

Wufei frowned slightly. “I’m not coming back, Tatiana.”

“You… don’t have to come back to my place.” She rolled her pretty eyes, frustrated with his manner. “We can live apart, I know we need a bit of space.”

“No. I mean I’m not returning to the relationship because there is no relationship.”

Her pretty mouth fell open, shock on her face. “But we are getting married.”

“I’m not going to be marrying you.”

“But…” She looked genuinely hurt, and Wufei folded his arms. “But you love me.”

“I used to. But feelings can change, and mine have.”

“You love me a lot, think about all the time we spent together. We’ve been together for years.”

“We have. I don’t want to be with you anymore. Love is more than simply adoration.” He tilted his head, “And it goes two ways. I don’t think you’ve really loved me the way I wanted to be loved.”

“I did everything you asked! I’m not drinking. You said I should get help, so I did.”

Really, the entitled tone was starting to grate and Wufei wondered if this had been a good idea. “Yes, I fully appreciate your time in rehab, I hope it gave you the help you need.”

Tatiana didn’t reply for a moment, looking up as Marta put two drinks on the table. Marta sat down and glanced at Wufei, “I didn’t bother.”

“Probably for the best.” Wufei replied gratefully. “I don’t want to lose contact all together. You and Karolina have a friend in all of us.”

Marta made a noise with her lips dismissively. “I know where you work, Wufei. Sally wouldn’t forgive me.”

“You knew he didn’t want to get back together?” Tatiana looked at her sister, eyes welling. “Why would you…?”

“Because you wouldn’t believe it until you had your nose driven into it.” Marta snapped, “You’re a selfish cow, Tatiana. You had chances with him, could have taken him to every event I found you, could have taken him out once, but no. No. You think a relationship is just about what you wanted.”

She put a hand gently on Tatiana’s cheek.

“You could have kept him, but you let a snake pour poison in your ear.” Marta spoke softly. “Say goodbye, Tatiana. Wufei has an afternoon appointment, which …” She glanced at her watch, “He might make if he leaves now.” Marta looked at Wufei meaningfully. “Sally said she’d stall.”

Wufei stared at her for a long time. “…What?”

“Sally said she likes her.” Marta cupped a hand on his shoulder and gave it a squeeze. “I agree. Your auntie has a pretty good sense for people. She was right about you.”

“What?”

“Honestly, Wufei. I do question how you ended up piloting a Gundam.” Marta frowned, she pulled out her phone, tapping at it violently for a moment before looking at Wufei with a dead stare. “Will you just go? I must speak to my sister now.”

Confused, Wufei stood and collected his bag. He looked down at Tatiana, a look of sad confusion on her face. He nodded once, “I’m not coming back, Tatiana. I’m sorry we ended this way, but I think it’s for the best… for both of us.” He paused for a moment. “I would appreciate it if you left me alone, I’m…” he nodded, certain now. “I’m seeing someone.”

“You’re having an affair?” Tatiana looked shocked, “Ames was right?”

Wufei blinked. “No. I’ve… I’ve only just started seeing her. It’s been a few months since we broke up.” He paused. “Why would you think…?”

“Wufei.” He looked down at Marta, who rolled her eyes. “Time to go. You’re going to get a phone call.”

Wufei looked at her, to Tatiana, to his phone and then back to Marta. “Right. Uh.” He paused again, “How does Sally…?”

“We just know.” Marta nodded briskly, “Go.”

He was just leaving the café when his phone really did start ringing with a video call. He put his headphones in and raised the phone to accept the call. Sally Po’s face filled the screen.

“Hi! How’d your meeting go? Oh wait, and look you’re on speakerphone.” Sally moved the phone around showing a group of people behind her, sitting in the preventer’s cafe. Noin waved enthusiastically, Zechs next to her, seemingly in deep conversation with Duo. On the other side of Duo sat Hasigawa and Sally stood up to give a wider view, “Hey everyone, say hi to Wufei!”

Sally began laughing as the phone jostled and Heero peered into the screen. He walked some distance from the group and lowered his voice. He was unbearably smug. “Hey, Chang. Know your secret. It’s scarlet.”

“Raspberry pie, you ignorant bastard.” Wufei snapped. “Besides, I know yours.”

Heero snorted. “You do not.”

“Long…” Wufei growled. “Hair.”

The sheer surprise in Heero’s face was worth it. “Okay.”

“Uh huh. Po. Now.”

Heero handed the phone back over to Sally. “What’s up, puppy?”

“Po. What are you doing?”

She smiled indulgently, wrapping an arm around Hasigawa who looked into the camera with a tense smile. Sally gave Hasigawa a squeeze, “Just hanging out with some friends. We saw Riko heading out and thought, what the heck? Might as well adopt her too.”

“Adopt?” Wufei rolled his eyes, “Will you just not be weird?”

“Weird? Me? Your own mother!”

“You’re not my… Damnit, Po!” Wufei looked around, “I’m going to be there in twenty minutes! Let me talk to Hasigawa.”

With a loud laugh, Sally pressed a couple of buttons and the video cut out. Wufei listened to the audio, and Hasigawa’s voice was not directed at him at first. “I’m just gonna speak to him over here.” Her voice lowered, “So, I’m on my way out when your weird sister calls me over and now she won’t let me leave. What the fuck, Chang?”

“So, this was something I was going to mention on Date Five, but…” He rolled his eyes and sighed, “First of all, welcome to the family.”

She choked. “The family?”

He rolled his eyes. “Po is a demon and she’s not related to me. Do not confirm or deny anything that Yuy asks you. Do not give Noin any information you do not want Peacecraft knowing.” 

“Peacecraft? As in the vice foriegn minister Relena Peacecraft?” Hasigawa paused, “Wait. The brother or the sister?”

“It does not matter.” 

“Um. Okay.” Hasigawa chuckled, “Am I trapped here?”

Wufei sighed. “Probably. I don’t know how Po knew.”

“If it helps, I don’t think Doctor Po knows we’re dating. She gives me the impression she just likes me…” Hasigawa paused, “A lot. She really likes me… uh, do you think?”

“Po knows. I don’t know how, but she probably suspects something.” He glanced down the street. “She’s always trying to…” He mumbled the last part. 

“What was that?”

“Get me some. She’s always trying to get me ‘some’...”

Hasigawa snorted. “Oh, date five is going to be hilarious. I cannot wait for the real Gundam secrets.”

“About that.”

“Oh look, I’m getting waved back.”

“Hasigawa!”

She hung up on him. Wufei growled and broke into a jog.

* * *

Duo laughed to himself as he left the lift, tucking his phone into his pocket. He wasn’t entirely sure of what Sally Po’s impromptu coffee party was all about, but it was really nice to catch up with them. He was glad she had grabbed Hasigawa, a familiar face from his current life was nice to have. It also meant he had someone else to pick up the intensive curiosity. Noin seemed very interested in Hasigawa’s strange revenge-ship with Wufei. 

The look on Wufei’s face was priceless when he arrived. Sally swiftly announced she needed to be somewhere, while Noin and Zechs had invited both Duo and Heero to go look at their new car. Duo hadn’t quite been so sure what was going on, but was happy to follow Heero after Heero had wrapped an arm around Wufei. 

“Maybe…” Heero had smirked, “You should discuss the details of your new case with Hasigawa.” Heero had pointed a finger between them, “You know. The red one.”

Wufei had whispered, “It’s raspberry pie, you ass.” 

Duo wasn’t entirely sure what was going on, but Heero’s chuckle all the way down the lift was well worth the confusion.

He turned the corner and came to a stop. 

There was a man slumped near his door. 

They stared at each other for a long time. 

The man slowly - wobbily - got up from where he was sitting. “Hey… Babe.” 

Duo closed his eyes. Took a breath to steady himself. Opened his eyes.

“What are you doing here, Ames?” 

* * *

_ You touched my heart and then gave me yours _

_ I was so afraid I tried to ignore all the butterflies _

_ Taking me over _

_ We are anything but unremarkable _

_ We found things that we have given up on _

_ We found love _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you're doing well in these strange times. I'm finding myself struggling somewhat, because it's really hard to focus with so much going on. I'm having a go at the Camp Nanowrimo, my project goal is 25k - the project focus is aiming to finish this fanfic. I've got most of the ending planned out but I need to get writing it!  
Thank you so much to you for being here, I really appreciate it and I sincerely hope you're having a good time.


	14. How I dress is a reflection of me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ames pays Duo a visit. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: hahahahahahaha… I’m so old. You know the score. 
> 
> Notes: Relationships are hard work.
> 
> Song: Kelis - Caught Out There

_ Last year, Valentine's day _

_ You would spoil me and say _

_ "Babe, I love you, love you (Yo, he's lying) and I swear" _

_ Held you when you were sick, even... (sucked yo dick) _

_ The whole time I think to myself, this isn't fair _

* * *

**Your Body’s Poetry**

**By Dr Megalomania**

* * *

_ What is this I see (I don't believe this) _

_ You don't come home to me _

_ When you don't come home to me _

_ I can't deal, can't bear (I won't) _

* * *

#  Chapter 13: How I dress is a reflection of me 

* * *

The look of hurt in Ames' eyes would have - once upon a time - stung, sent him spiralling. Now he just stared. Ames' voice was broken as he haltingly said, "We haven't even tried to talk... you didn't even bother to ..." Ames shook his head sadly, eyes welling with tears. "You don't get it. Normal people try to work out their differences with words, Duo." Ames tried for a smile, "I know back in the war it was easy to just disappear off the grid, but we're not in a war." He nodded, "We're supposed to be--" Ames winced and then crashed into the wall, groaning. 

Duo took half a step forward. He stopped himself and swallowed. "What did you take?"

"Do you even..." Ames grimaced, "Do you even care?"

Duo raised a hand to touch his forehead. He swallowed back the irrational urge to run forward. He knew what this was. Ames had done this every time he wanted Duo to do things his way.

Ames heroically tried to stand up straight. "I suppose I should just... get out of here."

Sighing, Duo took another step forward. "Ames, if you're sick..."

"No, no... You..." Ames took a shuddering breath, "I gave you everything. I just..." He shook his head. "I just wanted the best for you."

"The best?" Duo blinked. He pulled his phone out and began dialling. He called an ambulance, calmly stating where they were and describing what Ames might have done. He stared at Ames, who stared back at him. Wide eyed and something deep in his eyes, something like surprise. Duo nodded. He understood what this was and held on to what he knew now. Ames’ eyes were watery but deep inside, Duo could see the sharp looks. Ames wasn’t as incapacitated as he pretended to be. 

Ames took a shuddering deep breath and he collapsed to the ground gracefully. “I just need a minute…” He clapped a hand over his face.

Perversely an image of Heero came to Duo, that moment he asked for a minute. He held on to it. 

"I knew I could... count on you." Ames smiled, his lips trembling. "There's something human left in you after all." His voice sounded fainter, and Ames seemed to slide a bit as if even the wall couldn’t hold him up any more. 

Duo stiffened and shifted his thumb to make another call. He walked away from Ames. "Hey Hasigawa? Sorry, something's come up and I can't join you after all."

Riko's voice was confused, "... What the fuck?"

Duo laughed softly, "Yeah, I know. Maybe tomorrow, hon?"

"...Hon? Is this prank?"

"No, no, no... don't bother. It's going to be a lot longer than five minutes. I'm going to be tied up for a while." He glanced at Ames and took two steps away, seemingly in frustration. "Do you know who else I need to call? Or can you just let them all know? Who else is there?"

"Uhhh... Oh shit, this is some kind of Gundam thing. Uh! Hang on!" There was a muffled noise as she clearly handed the phone over and hissed, "It's Duo! And he's not saying things that make sense!"

Duo glanced back at Ames. Ames' expression was souring under the pain. Duo smiled tightly. 

"Maxwell." Wufei's voice was hard. "Status?"

"Hasigawa? Are you still there? Oh good. Who?" Duo asked, "What? No, are you already drinking? Hah!" He paused and glanced at Ames again. "No, I told you... I'm not going to make it, got a situation here and I can't get away."

"Are you at your apartment?"

"Yes, I'm sure. Don't order me anything! I'm just taking care of the problem."

"Is it Amadeus?"

"Sure thing." Duo watched Ames as he struggled to his feet. "Look, I ordered some take out. It should be here soon." He felt his breath catch as Ames took a couple of steps closer. "Hasigawa, I've gotta go."

Wufei didn't sound happy. "We're on our way."

"Yep. Bye!" Duo managed to say, hanging up before Ames snatched the phone out of his hands. He stared at the call log for a moment, and Duo stood still. Ames flicked a sharp look at him before pressing the call button again. He held the phone against his ear and Duo almost held his breath. 

"Hey dude!" Riko's voice was higher pitched and louder than normal. "Did you just say you had to go?"

Ames stared at Duo and silently handed over the phone. 

"Duo? My dude?" Riko sounded a little forced. "Are you there?"

"I'm here. Sorry, butt-dialled you." Duo swallowed as he watched Ames lean against the door to his apartment. "Sorry about tonight."

"Uh huh. So, uh..." She paused, "We're going to bring the party to you." 

Duo felt a deep amusement touch him. She pressed a button on her phone and suddenly she sounded a little further away. Duo stared at Ames, "Do you remember where I live?"

There was a brief pause. "Yes. I do remember where you live."

There was a noise down the corridor, and a paramedic appeared. Duo felt his knees almost unlock and he smiled at the paramedic, gesturing Ames. He looked back at Ames and saw the calculation in his eyes. He was furious. He was powerless. 

Duo swallowed and let the phone drop from his ear. He began talking to the paramedic, his voice carefully dispassionate as he described the kind of thing that Ames always did - taking a non-lethal overdose of painkillers. Creating a situation that needed his full attention, always in retaliation to something that Duo had done, always trying to control Duo’s reactions. 

Duo stared at Ames, the rest of the world falling away. Ames was being treated, and inevitably the paramedic would have to make the call to get Ames to the hospital. Duo wondered if there was any way he could say no without being a terrible person or worse, making a scene. 

* * *

Ames seemingly took a turn for the worse, and Duo helped the paramedic get Ames into the lift. They struggled together to get Ames onto the gurney in the lobby, and Duo stepped back when Ames weakly raised a hand out to him. 

When the paramedic started to give him details about where to go, Duo felt like he was under water. He felt himself beginning to nod but inside he didn't want to go. He didn't want to be there, making promises to Ames, to try and change so Ames wouldn't hurt himself any more, he didn't want to--

"Duo?" 

Hasigawa ran in the front doors. She gave Ames a look as the paramedics started wheeling him out of the door. She moved to approach Duo. Just behind her, Wufei walked in. 

Wufei looked down at Ames and then up at the paramedic. "Are you taking him to the hospital?"

"Uh, yes, I gave his friend--"

"They are not friends." Wufei stated plainly. He showed the paramedic his badge, "This man is guilty of threatening behaviour to my friend there." He glanced down at Ames, "We'll be filing a complaint with law enforcement. Please ensure that it's noted that Duo Maxwell is not the emergency contact no matter what documentation this man may have on him."

The paramedic looked between them all, agreed and then moved to rush Ames away. Wufei glanced at Duo, "Are you all right?" 

Duo didn't quite trust himself to talk, so he held a hand out for Wufei. Wufei moved forward, taking his hand. They held each other's gaze for a long time, before Wufei sighed and simply clasped Duo by the back of the head and pulled him into an embrace. "He does not get to be here. You cannot be responsible for his choices."

"Thank you." Duo muttered, "I don't know what I would have done..." 

Wufei pulled back and nodded. 

"So." 

They blinked and looked toward Hasigawa who stood beside them. She glanced between them quickly. "Is this, like, a whole Gundam telepathy thing?"

"What?" Duo asked in confusion.

Wufei rolled his eyes. "We're not psychics."

"But." She gestured to Duo, "How did he know he needed to call me to get you?"

"I didn't." Duo shrugged, "Ames didn't like me contacting my family, I figured the best way to not set him off but still get help was to contact you." He scratched the back of his head, "Wufei was a lucky bonus..." He blinked, suddenly realising, "I mean, why are you two together so late?"

"Uh..." Riko started, but Wufei smoothly cut in. 

"Case." He said, "We got talking about the case, and I took her to a cafe."

"Yes." Hasigawa agreed readily, "And then... uh, he was giving me some advice."

Duo looked at both of them, bemused by their nervousness. He was too grateful to them to probe their obviously weak story any further. He raised a hand to brush his hair back and realised that his hand was shaking. He clenched it into a fist. 

He felt a warmth on his back and he looked at Hasigawa. Her concern was very clear for him, she rubbed his back awkwardly for a moment. He looked at her and she stopped. "Uh..." Riko blinked and glanced at Wufei, "Do... you like... need some ...?" She flailed for a moment before glaring at Wufei.

Wufei was smirking. "What's the matter, Hasigawa?" 

"What do you do...?" Hasigawa raised her hands uselessly, "Is there like some kind of Gundam-calming-magic-trick?"

"Magic calming?" Wufei lifted a hand and wiggled his fingers. "Do you know what we were? We weren't magical."

"Well, I don't know. You did this whole silent forehead touch." Riko threw her hands up and wrapped her arms around herself. "Look, can we just go somewhere a little warmer?"

Wufei shook his head, shrugging his coat off. He draped his long coat over her shoulders and glanced at Duo, "Mind if we have a drink?"

"Yes!" Duo nodded, he touched Riko's elbow. "Come on, you can warm up in my place."

"Thanks," Riko smiled appreciatively, she flicked a glance at Wufei. "Both of you."

Duo smiled fondly as Wufei gestured them forward. 

* * *

Heero was towelling off when he heard his phone going in the bedroom. He pulled on his boxers and flung a towel around his shoulders. He stepped over to his bedside and picked up his phone.

He had a missed call from Wufei and then another from Duo. He thumbed his phone and called Duo back.

"Hi..." Duo's voice was low, there was conversation in the background and Duo sounded like he got up to seek a quieter spot. "Sorry, Wufei and Riko are here."

"Oh?"

Duo seemed to hesitate. "Don't get mad but..." 

Heero frowned, "What would...?"

"Ames was here." 

Heero thought about all the possible responses, felt a brief burning fury descend over his entire being. Most people described fury as being a hot thing, but this was icy cold. He swallowed - _ little hands banging against the glass _ \- and took a shuddering breath. He tried to ease the tension in his jaw. What had he been thinking? He should have spent some time fortifying Duo's position, should have been there with him. 

"Heero."

Should have been there to secure his location, check the entry. Further than that, should have spent the time to ensure they knew where Ames could have been coming from, there was no excuse not to be fully aware of the enemy's movements. Duo could have been--

"Heero." Duo's voice was lower but harder. "Answer me."

"I'm sorry for failing you." Heero ground out, "It-It won't happen again."

"You... what?" Duo almost choked, "You cannot possibly be suggesting this was your fault." 

"I promised you I'd be there--"

"You are not a soldier and there is no way you could have predicted this." Duo's voice went a shade harder. "You might as well just be angry with me for failing to see what my ex-boyfriend was."

"I'm not saying--"

"How can you possibly accept blame for you supposedly failing me without first acknowledging my inability to protect myself?" Duo was sharp now, and that cut through the fog of Heero's thoughts. "I should have been better, I'm a Gundam Pilot, just like you, I should have been able to ... to..." Duo seemed to flail for an idea. He made a small frustrated noise. "Damnit Heero, if you think I'm so useless--"

"No!" Heero stared horrified, he clenched his hand around his phone. "I..." His breath left him for a moment, "I... I was scared. You should be safe."

"And I was." Duo swallowed audibly. "I can't explain it, I just knew... there wasn't anything he could do to make me want to go back. Not even his favourite party trick." Duo's voice was bitter. "I stood there and called the ambulance like it was nothing. He..." A quiet laugh bubbled. "He was so surprised, I don't think it went quite the way he wanted." 

Hesitant, Heero asked, "Ambulance? What's his party trick?" 

"He'd never hurt me." Duo paused for a moment, "But he'd hurt himself. Take an overdose, slash at his wrist. Never..." Duo hesitated, "Never actually lethal, just enough to need more help than I could cope with. Always just enough that … It doesn’t matter." The voices in the background faded as if Duo was moving further away. Heero imagined he was walking in the corridor. "You uh... You actually helped me."

"I wasn't there."

"You were. In my head." Duo's voice took on a warmth that spread to Heero. Heero closed his eyes, longingly wishing he was closer. "You were there... he asked for a minute and I remembered you. Protecting me from your anger."

"That... That can't be a nice memory. I'm sorry."

"Are you kidding?"

There was a click, Heero wondered if he'd closed a door.

"You have no idea how safe you make me feel." Duo continued, his voice a little louder. "Your control, your determination..." Duo sighed and Heero's eyes snapped open at the sound. "I'd forgotten what it felt like to be ..." Duo laughed softly, "I don't even know what this is." 

"I know what you mean." Heero replied gently. "I won't hurt you."

"I know." Duo replied quickly. "That's just the thing, I know. I know you won't. Wufei's here, with Riko. You're not telling me I need to make them leave. You..." Duo paused, took a shaky breath. "You held on to that pin."

"You asked me to."

"And you did it." Duo chuckled, "I'm not sure if that makes any sense but... it's been a while."

"Makes sense to me." Heero looked around his bedroom, he could probably get dressed and be at Duo's within the hour. He sighed. "Do you want me to come over?"

"Um... You know what? Not really. We both got work tomorrow, and I'm about to kick Riko and Wufei out." Duo yawned, "Is it weird that all I needed was to hear your voice this time?"

Heero was surprised by the warmth that flared in his belly. "I can come over if you want."

The chuckle made the warmth hotter. "Nah, though I would love to have lunch with you."

"Definitely can be arranged." Heero glanced out the window. "Did you want to still go to the pub tomorrow?"

"Sure." Duo seemed to take a deep breath, "I should probably check in on Riko and Wufei... make sure they haven't killed each other." He snorted, "Things are awfully quiet out there."

"Hmm." Heero narrowed his eyes. "Maybe not killing each other." He paused, "Duo?"

"Yeah?"

"Sleep well, and if there's anything else... you want to talk about anything. Just." Heero rolled his eyes at his own hesitancy. "Just call me. I'll be there."

"I know." Duo's smile was audible. "Good night, Heero."

"Good night."

Heero waited for Duo to hang up, before looking at his phone. He lay back on the bed. A couple of swipes brought up the photo he'd taken the other day. Duo staring out the window. Wistful, sunlight highlighting the twists of auburn, and best of all... catching the shade of purple in his eyes. Another swipe, and Duo was sleeping on the couch, sat up and cute. Heero rested the back of his hand on his forehead and sighed. "Good night, Duo."

* * *

Duo watched his phone until the screen dimmed. He was fully aware of how goofy his smile was. He shook himself and got up from his bed. Walking out into his living room he was surprised to find that Wufei and Riko appeared to have found the balcony. He walked towards the open door only to freeze. They were leaning on the railing together, Riko with Wufei's long coat draped over her shoulders again. He had a hand on her back, and seemed to be pointing out things lit up across the water. She was leaning into him. 

Smiling to himself, Duo moved backwards as quietly as he could. He stopped in the corridor and called out, "Wufei? Riko?" He leaned against the wall, hidden from view for a moment, trying hard not to laugh. He walked out after a moment, "Sorry about that." 

Riko was sitting on the arm of the sofa, Wufei's long coat under her. Wufei was just coming in from the balcony. He gestured, "It's a lovely view."

"Really is." Duo smiled, “So, um… thanks for everything tonight.”

“No problem.” Riko got up, handing Wufei his coat in the process. She raised an arm as she yawned, “Well, I’m going to head on out. Leave you two to do your whole… gundam thing.”

“How are you going to get home?” Wufei frowned, “I drove you.”

“I’ll catch a cab or something, obviously.” Riko rolled her eyes and picked up her bag. She walked past Duo, clapping him on the shoulder. “Night, dude.”

“See you tomorrow.” Duo smiled at her, “Thanks again.”

“The code word in future is speculoos.” She looked at him, “Or is that word taken in the Gundam dictionary?”

“What the hell is a speculoo?”

Riko looked at him, vague horror in her face. She took a very deep breath. “Okay, some education is needed.”

Wufei walked forward, “Made up words do not count.” He gave Duo a hard, quick hug. “I’m going to make sure she gets home safely.”

“A cab is not going to kill me.” Riko protested.

“Good night Duo, lock the door after us.” Wufei waved as he walked away. “Come on, Hasigawa. Let the man sleep.”

“Will do. Night both of you.” Duo smiled as they walked to the door and let themselves out. He waited a moment, before leaning out the door to watch them walk down the corridor. As expected, Wufei shook out his coat and wrapped it around Riko with little protest from the woman. Duo grinned widely before closing and locking his front door. 

* * *

  
  


_ Raunchy, so vulgar, not me, why the hell her _

_ Look, she dresses (Look at her) _

_ A mess, what do you see (I don't know) _

_ It's not all about cash (Hell, no) _

_ Not how much you flash _

_ How I dress is a reflection of me _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you ever so much if you are following along. Thank you so much for joining me. I appreciate that you're here. Since I last updated, I have actually managed to finish this story. If you follow me on tumblr, you can get more about it. Thank you so much for being here.  
(Any remaining mistakes are mine - as always, I should add!- my beta has been able to whizz though this for general sense)


	15. If you close your eyes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wufei has an idea, Quatre makes a plan, Heero runs away ... nobody does what they're supposed to do.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: hahahahahahaha… I’m so old. You know the score. 
> 
> Notes: Relationships are hard work.
> 
> Song: Bastille - Pompeii

_ I was left to my own devices _

_ Many days fell away with nothing to show _

_ And the walls kept tumbling down _

_ In the city that we love _

_ Gray clouds roll over the hills _

_ Bringing darkness from above _

* * *

**Your Body’s Poetry**

**By Dr Megalomania**

* * *

_ But if you close your eyes _

_ Does it almost feel like _

_ Nothing changed at all? _

* * *

#  Chapter 14: If you close your eyes...

* * *

The sharp rap on his office door was the only warning Quatre got before it slammed open. Marianna's voice was loud and high, clearly disregarding anything his secretary had to say. He didn't look up until he heard Iria's voice as well. He was not surprised. He calmly finished off the sentence he was typing and then saved his work. He turned in his chair and folded his hands together.

Marianna walked in, blonde hair amusingly askew. Iria followed her, more composed but her face was pale. He looked at them both as they stood in front of his desk and calmly waited for his secretary to catch up. "Henri." Quatre smiled kindly, "Can you please bring some tea and look at which appointments can be easily cancelled?" Quatre stood, and checked his phone. "I'll keep the meeting at 1600."

"Uh..." Henri glanced between him and his two sisters. "Yes. Of course, sir."

"Green for Marianna and black for both myself and Iria." He gestured the chairs by the window. "Shall we, sisters?"

Iria gave Marianna a look, before nodding tightly. She sat primly on one of the seats. Marianna looked incensed but acquiesced. She sat down rigidly, crossing her legs and propping her chin on a hand, elbow on a seat arm. She stared out the window, fury radiating from her. Quatre had a tight smile. He waited until Henri had served the tea and discretely closed the office's doors.

Quatre took a moment to pour his sisters' drinks and then his own with a drop of lemon and honey. He picked up his mug and sat down. "So, you could not wait to book an appointment."

"You must be--" Marianna snapped before stopping herself.

Iria was more restrained, taking a sip. "Quatre, we've seen the agenda for the next family meeting."

"Yes?" Quatre asked, knowing full well what both sisters might be here for. Iria's role was as his assigned medical doctor, and Marianna was the managing director of the company's staff. They would naturally be concerned about the change he was proposing.

"Stop being obtuse." Iria scolded quietly. "You know exactly what I mean."

Quatre sighed. "The meeting isn't for another month, I have yet to discuss it with Trowa. I am not going to discuss it today."

"Trowa!" Marianna snorted in disgust. "You are not seriously--"

"Yes. I am going to discuss it with Trowa first."

Marianna shifted angrily in her seat, almost vibrating with fury. Iria raised a hand. "Quatre... have you considered--"

"Yes." Quatre smiled gently at his sister. "However, a serious change in my circumstances is something that I would like to discuss in full with my lover."

"Perhaps family should come first." Marianna snipped. "This... lover of yours. He is not your first---"

"He is my only priority." Quatre glared at her. "Father asked me to continue running this company, and I will. But at the same time, I have desires and skills that I wish to put to use. I can't do that..." He gestured to his desk. "From behind his desk."

"Quatre, if you need to take a sabbatical...?" Iria calmly sipped her drink, "You can always do that instead."

"Yes, I considered it."

Marianna threw up her hands and stood. "This is the height of madness!"

"Marianna." Both Quatre and Iria said together. "Sit down."

Marianna shook her head, blonde curls bouncing. She folded her arms and moved to stare out the window. She cut a striking figure in her perfect suit against the colony-scape beyond the glass. Quatre sighed and stood. "I'm not doing this out of spite." He moved to stand near his sister. "Trowa is my lover, but more than that..."

"If you love him so much..." Marianna trailed off and huffed. "Benett would have been a perfect husband, he would push you to give up--."

"I wouldn't have loved him." Quatre reached out to touch her shoulder. They looked at each other. "Marianna, he adored what I represented. He did not adore me." He looked at her, frowning, "Trowa forgave me - he didn't need to - and has come back to me. It's not fair that you continue to try and put a wedge between us. Please."

She pursed her lips, and he could see she knew he was right. Iria stood, wrapping an arm around his waist and leaning her head affectionately on his shoulder. "I wish you'd spoken to us first."

"All of you are precious to me, but Trowa is the first person I'm going to speak to." Quatre rested his head against his sister's. "However, I am willing to discuss it with you both once I've understood myself with Trowa."

He stared at the window, seeing their reflections and his father’s desk in the window. He knew on the computer, his letter of resignation was still open. 

* * *

As lunch approached, Wufei picked up his things and slipped on his coat. Yuy paused as he pulled on his own coat, staring at Wufei with ill-concealed shock. Wufei almost rolled his eyes, "What?"

"What are you doing?" Yuy asked as if confused. 

Wufei sighed, "I can't go to lunch? I have an appointment."

"You never go out for lunch." Yuy finished pulling on his coat. "You never want to go to lunch with me."

“I'm not going with you.” Wufei stated simply. 

They walked out together. They passed Doris and Berkins conversing in the corridor and Wufei took a moment to return Berkins' wave. Yuy shook his head, his expression clearly bemused. "Who are you meeting?"

"Not telling."

"Ah." Yuy nodded, knowingly. "A date."

"None of your business, Yuy."

They rode the lift down in relative silence. Wufei simply rolled his eyes every time Yuy smirked. As the doors opened, Wufei looked around the main reception area, spotting Maxwell who was clearly waiting. Maxwell spotted them both and waved. 

Turning so he was walking backwards, Wufei took care to lean in and whisper, "Ah. A date."

Yuy looked at him in surprise, wrong-footed. "Um. No."

Wufei turned around again, walking normally and made sure to show Yuy his teeth when he sneered. "Oh, is it none of my business?"

"Point taken."

"Good." By this point they were nearing Maxwell, who looked between them. Wufei gave him a firm nod, but didn't stop. "Maxwell. See you at the pub later."

"Sure!" Wufei heard Maxwell call after him. "See you, Wufei!" His voice was a little lower as he clearly turned to Yuy to ask, "Does he not want to go to lunch with us?"

Wufei didn't hear Yuy's reply. He exited the preventers headquarters and headed for the small coffee place that was just down the street. It was not as popular as the preventers' cafe, but equally was not filled with preventers. Wufei ducked inside and climbed the stairs. Hasigawa was sitting near a window, looking out. He took a moment to drink in the sight of her. She seemed to notice him in the window and turned. The smile she gave him, honest and open, made his heart do something funny in his chest. It helped him to make his mind up. 

He slipped into the seat opposite her, "Hi, thanks for this. I know it's short notice."

"Uh huh. And I got you a coffee." She pushed a steaming cup towards him, "I put in the order." She gestured in the direction of the kitchen loosely, "We should be getting some food soon. So... What was so urgent that it couldn't wait until tonight at the pub?"

"I wanted to ask you something, and I wanted to give you some time to think about it before tonight."

"Oh?"

“Yes, I was wondering if you'd like to have breakfast with me tomorrow. It would be date five, because this is date number three and tonight could be date four...”

“Breakfast?” She leaned forward, resting her chin on her linked hands. "Not brunch?"

"Oh no." Wufei mirrored her pose, and let his voice lower so she had to lean closer. "Definitely breakfast."

"Definitely breakfast?” She smiled, "When were you thinking we meet?"

"As soon as you wake up."

"What if I don't wake up ‘til midday? Then it will be brunch."

"Hmm, maybe." He tilted his head, "I could always wake you up earlier."

"You ain't ringing me."

"I wouldn't wake you rudely." He smiled, feeling a little bold. "I know you would have had a late night, you'll probably be tired."

She seemed to think for a moment, "Are you suggesting you'll be in the same bed when you're going to wake me up?"

He smirked briefly before leaning closer, "I'm suggesting you'll be in my bed when I wake you up."

"Ooo." Hasigawa cooed, mockingly impressed but didn't quite shift subtly enough to escape his notice. It sent a ripple through him and he made sure to clamp down on it, allowing the slightest of smirks to cross his face.

"A hit?" He asked simply. "Did I sink your battleship?"

Hasigawa smiled, sitting back slightly. "I'll admit you grazed it." She glanced away, spotting the server with their food. She waved him over and cast Wufei a smile. "But the starchy, military cut corners... won't be good for my skin."

Wufei smiled up at the server, thanking him before turning his attention to his food. "You're reluctant?"

"We haven't even kissed, Chang." Hasigawa chuckled lightly. "I'll think about it, but... What brought this on?"

Wufei took a few bites of food, thinking carefully about his answer. Eventually he nodded and dabbed at his mouth with his napkin before looking at her directly. "I was married before I was a Gundam Pilot, I didn't treat her right and then I had to grow up fast. I've been a preventer since I was 17 and my last relationship ended before my girlfriend could realise I am boring." He took a sip of water. “I'd like to try something different with you.” 

She laughed brightly, "I already know you're boring. So, what would be different?"

"I've always been very proper. Always following the rules."

"Yes. I know." Hasigawa scrunched her nose up, "You look like the kind of person who'd iron their socks, Agent Chang."

"I'd like to try not being proper... and I've got a thought stuck in my head. It's not very proper." He looked at her, letting a fraction of what he felt show on his face. “Not proper at all.”

"Oh really?"

"It's very crass I'm afraid."

"Hah! I'd be interested to find out what you term 'very crass'." Hasigawa looked at him, amusement in her eyes and challenge in her voice. She mockingly gasped and raised a hand to her mouth, deliberately whispering. "Is it the missionary...  _ twice _ ?"

Wufei snorted, he made a small 'come closer' gesture with one finger. As she leaned in, he whispered, "I'd like to share one gundam fact with you..." When she blinked and nodded, he smoothly stood and leaned over the table. He slipped a hand around one cheek and leaned over to whisper in her ear. "I will keep you up tonight..." He took care to barely graze her ear with his lips. "Because I'm going to eat you out, and I'm going to enjoy bringing you to completion. I want to taste you, run my hands all over you..." 

Wufei pulled away, sitting back in his seat and looking her dead in the eye, hoping she heard the longing in his voice and saw the heat in his eyes. She stared back at him, mouth open and a blush blossoming in her face. She looked for a moment like she was holding her breath and Wufei couldn't help looking her up and down. She moved again, looking away. "Oh, my battleship." She muttered quietly. She glanced at him. "I… uh, yeah… I'm gonna think about it."

"Good." he started eating more earnestly.

When they were finished and paid, they made their way down to the street and Wufei dared to wrap an arm around her waist and pull her close. When she laughed, he couldn't help but smile. 

"You said earlier, you wanted this to be different." Hasigawa wrapped her arm around his waist and pulled at him. "How is this different?"

He paused and took a moment to stand in front of her, wrapping his other arm around her waist. He looked at her sincerely. 

"When I met Tatiana the other day, I could have gone straight back. I didn't want to. Yesterday, when Maxwell was in trouble you didn't even blink an eye at my cutting our date short. You respected my need to help him. You make me feel good." Wufei smiled slightly. "I want to return the favour."

Hasigawa looked at him fondly for a long moment, before lowering her voice, "And you've come to the conclusion that eating me out would achieve this?"

"Well, you know us Gundam pilots, we like to take unusual vectors to solve problems." He shrugged, "I'd like to give it a good go."

Hasigawa blinked, dark eyes searching his face for a moment before she pushed up to kiss him gently. They didn't quite meet correctly, noses bumping but they swiftly sorted themselves out. He let his eyes close and he kissed her back with gentle passion, losing himself until the moment she snorted.

"What?" Wufei opened his eyes in mild irritation. 

Hasigawa beamed, "Licking. You want to give it a good licking."

Wufei looked at her speechless for a moment before making a confused face, "Really, you interrupted our first kiss for that?"

"You cannot tell me that was not inspired, Chang." Hasigawa waved a hand airily, "Besides, that was a practice. We can have a proper first kiss later tonight."

Laughing despite the fact he tried to keep a straight face, Wufei shook his head. "A practice?"

"Uh huh." She linked arms with him and pulled, "I think we should get a couple more practice runs in, don't want to go rushing into this and butt heads." 

* * *

Heero kept an eye on the time, finding that once 3pm passed, time seemed to drag. He finished up his emails, and tapped away at a report due in a few weeks. He went through his to-do list, and planned his work for the next week. Friday afternoons never usually felt so long. 

Wufei left slightly earlier, something about wanting to set things up for his date somewhere else. He confirmed a meeting place with Heero, somewhere they could meet on the way to the pub. Trowa would meet them there too and Duo...

Heero smiled to himself before checking the time.

He was going to meet Duo at the cafe, and he was running a little ahead of time. He spun out the last few emails, but his concentration was a bit shot. At 4.30 he'd had enough and he signed off, tidied his work area and stood up. He picked up his bag, coat and keys. Shutting down his workstation for the weekend, he checked his appearance in the reflection of the window. He ran his hands through his hair, shaking his head at his vanity. He looked down at his desk, checking his checklist. There really wasn't anything left to do - nothing he couldn’t deal with on Monday, at least. He left, locked up and tried to ignore the fact that he was basically 'clocking out' early. As he made his way down the lift, he took a moment to glance in the lift's mirror. He never really cared about his appearance... but he wasn't immune to trying to look good. This would be...

Heero rolled his eyes.

It wasn't a date. Duo wasn't open to the idea yet. He didn't want to pressure Duo but.

But...

The lift doors pinged open.

Heero sighed and walked out with purpose. His hair was messy as ever, Relena always said stylishly so. He glanced around and then headed towards the cafe. It was not very late in the afternoon. There were hours left to go before the evening really got started. He caught himself walking purposely, and tried to slow down. He was keen. Maybe it was because it was the first time he was bringing someone. He caught himself checking his reflection in the windows as he walked. He was so keen to go out this evening. It was because he'd get to see Duo again but this time in a social setting, they’d drink and laugh. He smiled ruefully, and picked up his pace again. 

He arrived in the hall by 4.45pm. He scanned the seating in the cafe area, he'd get a coffee while he waited. Picking an espresso, he carefully turned and blinked as he saw Duo in the queue just behind him. Duo was looking at his phone, expression in a slight frown. Heero took a sip and stood by him, “Hey.”

Duo looked up, frown clearing. “Hey!” A smile formed, as he checked the time on his phone. “Guess we had the same thought!” 

Heero nodded, “I saw a spare table by the window, but…” he glanced over. “There's a bag there now.” 

“Yeah,” Duo laughed slightly, “It's mine. Figured it would be a good spot to –”

“-- see you from. Yeah, I had the same thought.”

“Great minds, my man.” Duo glanced down at his drink, “But not great tastes…” He made an exaggerated grimace, “Too bitter for me.” He stepped forward as the queue moved. “I'll see you in a mo.” 

Once Duo had his drink - a frothy latte - they settled at the table that both overlooked the reception area and the street. Heero sipped his espresso, smirking at the grimace he caught on Duo's face. “It's not that bitter.”

“Literally can feel my tongue recoiling.” He sipped his latte. “Sweet sweet frothy milk all the way.”

“Have you tried a cortado?”

Duo licked his lips as he carefully lowered his glass cup, “No.” He said thoughtfully. “Considered it, but was worried about the bitterness of the coffee.”

“Coffee isn't bitter.”

“You're wrong but ok.”

Heero smiled, “I'll get you one next time. If you don't like it, I'll drink it.”

“You're on, Yuy.” Duo pointed a finger at him. He lent back into the comfortable chair, crossing his legs at the knee. “So, how are you doing? I thought you didn't finish til 5pm.”

“I'm okay.” Heero smiled, glancing out the window at the street, “Truth be told, I'm actually really quite excited to go out tonight.”

“Ha,” Duo chuckled, “Didn't that last hour just crawl?”

“Yes!”

“Yeah, I pretty much wrapped up and sped out as soon as I finished my emails. Future Duo can deal with tiny bits I didn't finish today.”

“Future Duo?”

“Yeah, Monday morning, I bet I'm going be a bit annoyed with myself, but I'll be like, nah, worth it.”

“I hope so.” Heero sipped his espresso. “I've never brought a da…” He paused awkwardly. “Friend? with me.”

Duo blinked, “Did you just stop yourself from saying 'date'?”

“Uh. Yeah. It's supposed to be a.. ah-a couples/singles dating ... thing.” Heero glanced away, “I don't really... do ... dating at this thing. It’s why it took Wufei so long to convince me to go.”

Duo's chuckle was fond. “You never really did social.”

“No. I still don't.” Heero looked back, “You don't mind? People might think… uh, things.”

“Not at all, though I am curious. How does single you end up at a couples thing?”

“Wufei felt I needed some company. He tried hooking me up with Tatiana’s sister. Neglected to tell me I was most certainly not her type of woman.” Heero sipped his espresso slowly, “Wufei also thinks it can't just be me and my laptop all the time.”

“I can see how that might…” Duo wagged his eyebrows suggestively as he raised his own drink, “Lead to some repetitive strain injuries.”

Heero couldn't help the smirk, “Something like that.” Feeling daring, he flicked his eyes at Duo, muttering. “Lucky me, he doesn’t know about the bobby pin.”

Duo didn’t hear him the first time, swallowing quickly. “Huh?”

“Nothing.” Heero shook his head, courage failing him the second time around. “So, you’re okay if… people see us together tonight?” 

“Heh. Well, I'm happy to come along as your date. And sure, people can think what they like. I think I know how I feel about you.” Duo checked his watch, “Though if we want to catch the next bus downtown, we should probably get going.”

“Take your time,” Heero gestured the latte. “Your frothy hot milk looks good.”

“Yeah, they've got some great coffee here.” Duo took a gulp of his coffee, wincing slightly with the heat.

“I mean it, you can take your time!” Heero chuckled. “Wufei won't mind if I'm late with a date.”

“Can you imagine! Me waltzing in on your arm, and Wufei's like deadpan: I knew it.”

Heero imagined it for a moment, and then laughed fondly. “Yeah, that's exactly what he'd do. He’s gone off to meet his date. I think we might meet her today.”

Duo snorted, “You think so?” He smiled knowingly. “He thinks we don’t know it’s Riko.” 

Heero tipped his head back and laughed. He sobered slightly, “He thinks he knows we’re dating. Is that okay?”

“Let’s face it, we basically are.” Duo chuckled quietly. He gestured between them. “If someone had a checklist, I bet we’d probably check off everything and add like ten items.” 

Staring at him, Heero sobered slightly, “I’d love that.” 

Duo stared at him, his violet eyes warm. “Yeah. Me too.” 

Heero reached out, and they touched hands. Heero rubbed his thumb over Duo’s, not wanting to spoil the moment. Duo smiled slightly, and then his attention was dragged off to something behind Heero. He tightened his grip on Heero’s hand, as he spoke quietly. “Don’t look but Berkins just spat out his drink.”

“Oh fuck.” Heero turned, and sure enough Berkins was mopping up his drink, apologising profusely to the person who’d taken the brunt of his coffee explosion. Heero turned back to Duo, “You know how I said you didn’t need to rush?”

“Are we about to run away?” Duo grinned widely, “Are you telling me that Heero No Fear Yuy has in fact got one fear and it’s a middle aged bowling obsessed agent?”

“You have not been fully exposed to a Berkins interrogation clearly.” Heero picked up his things and stood suddenly. He downed the rest of his espresso and looked at Duo. Duo laughed as he chugged half of his cooling latte and they made a run for it. 

* * *

The bus wasn't so full as they got on, but they did have to squeeze in together on the last two seats at the back. The thinner of the two, Duo sat by the window. As the bus moved off from the stop, Duo was surprised when he felt Heero's fingers tap the back of his hand. Turning his hand over, he smiled slightly as Heero linked his fingers with Duo's. Duo glanced at Heero, who stared ahead, cheeks either touched with a blush or cold from the outside. The tiny smile pulling at his lips gave Duo the confirmation he needed. Duo looked away, tightening his grip on Heero's hand. He stared out the window and took in the darkening streets. 

The Matters was just far enough from Preventers Central to warrant the bus, but close enough to enable large groups of Preventers to enjoy together. When they got to two stops away, Heero pulled gently at Duo's hand as he stood and pressed the stop button. Despite knowing they were getting off earlier than expected, Duo trusted Heero and got off the bus with him. As the vehicle pulled away, Heero turned to Duo and shrugged, tugging on Duo's hand. They started walking the last two blocks to the pub, fingers entwined. 

"Any reason?"

"Do I need one?"

Duo blinked at the comment and laughed. "No, I suppose not."

"It's going to be loud and crowded, always is on a Friday." Heero looked up. "And I thought, maybe it would be nice to walk you there, it's not such a bad night."

"A little chilly sure but..." Duo trailed off, catching sight of the river between the buildings. He smiled to see it and squeezed Heero's hand. "This is definitely on the checklist."

"I know." Heero took a deep breath. "But... if you're okay with the idea of being my date... checking all the boxes off for the relationship checklist..." He slowed, turning toward Duo and grabbing his other hand. "Letting me keep a bent hair pin..." He looked down at their hands, rubbing his thumbs against the back of Duo's hand thoughtfully. He flicked his eyes up at Duo. "Then maybe I can do the things I want to do... when they occur to me."

"Like getting off two stops early?"

"Like getting off two stops early so I can be alone with you..." He tilted his head slightly. "Alongside the river you love."

Duo felt his cheeks heat a little and he stepped a little closer to Heero. "Didn't know you were so romantic..."

"Didn't know it would feel so good." Heero replied honestly, raising one hand to brush a lock of Duo's fringe away. "Or that your eyes would still be beautiful in the streetlight."

Holding Heero's steady gaze, Duo allowed himself a moment of amazement. There was nothing else coming. No other barb or criticism, there wasn't a demand that followed it. Heero meant what he'd said and wasn't expecting something back. Around them, the street - empty but for passing cars and the sound of the river at night - simply existed in a tangle of streetlights and shadows. Heero smiled, shy now, a little embarrassed as he realised what he'd said. He took one step back, dropping his hand, "Sorry... Too much?"

Duo blinked and the loss of the warmth from Heero's hand was enough to spark him into motion. Throwing his arms around Heero's neck, he hugged Heero as if his life depended on it. A flood of words filled his mind, but he couldn't say a thing. Duo just buried his face into Heero's neck, closing his eyes as he breathed in the scent of the man. A few more breaths and he had it then... the courage to pull back and look into Heero Yuy's eyes. 

He almost laughed at the concern in Heero's eyes and shook his head. "It was perfect."

"I..." Fondness filled Heero's expression. "I want to follow my emotions... I want to make you feel happy." His brows drew together apologetically. "I'm new to this..."

Duo nodded, "I think maybe me too." He pushed back into the hug, resting his chin on Heero's shoulder. "Thank you for being here with me."

Heero held him back for a long moment, until his phone began ringing. He pulled back slightly, leaving one arm looped around Duo's waist as he looked at the screen. He slid his fingers across the screen to answer the call. "Hi Trowa. What's up? What? No, we're fine... we're walking--" He paused, his happy expression fading to exasperated and looked ahead. Duo followed his look and clapped a hand over his eyes. 

Wufei and Trowa were stood at the end of the street, waving. Wufei held his phone up, obviously filming. He held his free hand up to cup his mouth as he shouted. "Posterity!" 

* * *

Duo laughed as Heero made another attempt to grab Wufei’s phone. Anticipating the move, Wufei simply ducked under Heero’s hand. Trowa shook his head, “Are they going to be like this all night?”

“Probably.” Duo stuck his hands into his pockets and shrugged. “Best not to tell him it’s already in the group chat.”

Trowa smiled warmly at Duo. “It’s nice to see you both like that.” He deliberately walked close enough to shove his shoulder into Duo’s. “Bet it feels good too.”

“We’re just…” Duo dipped his head, unable to quite wipe the smile off his face. “He’s good for me.”

“And you for him, I bet.” Trowa chuckled. “Looking forward to seeing what happens when Yuy’s drunk. Definitely worth pulling designated driver!”

Rolling his eyes, Duo snorted. “Heero doesn’t get drunk.”

“Bet he’ll drink anything you put in front of him.” Trowa replied, chuckling. “So, Wufei’s also got a surprise tonight?”

Wufei stopped, holding his hands out to all of them. “Before we go in…” He pointed at each of them, serious. “If any one of you bastards say a word about my girlfriend, I will use your skulls as flower pots. I will end you if you so much as think about mocking her. She’s mine, this is new, I want her to come home with me tonight.”

All three former pilots leaned back at that deadly pronouncement, Heero arching an eyebrow. “You act like we don’t know you’re with Riko.”

Caught off guard, Wufei stood slack jawed for a moment before snapping. “You bastards do anything to upset her--”

“You mean that woman he has a daily argument with?” Trowa blinked and looked at Duo. “The one you work with?”

“Yeah.” Duo nodded, gamely grinning. “Apparently he’s gone from being the number one asshole to being her sweetie boo.”

“We’re not--!” Wufei growled before stopping himself. He glanced up at the night sky and shook his head. “Just… we’re just trying it out… seeing if it suits us.”

Trowa shook his head and patted him on the shoulder. “We won’t make her run the Gundam Assault course yet then… I’ll tell Quatre to hold off sending the Magnaracs for her initiation to the family, but Sally’s already ordered the dress.”

“Assholes.”

“Brothers.” Trowa grinned brightly and sailed past him. Duo smiled apologetically as he walked past Wufei. Heero stood, arms folded, eyes narrowed thoughtfully. 

He tilted his head. “You really thought it was a secret.”

“What gave it away?”

“You will never be able to hide anything from Sally. Marta tells her everything.”

Wufei rolled his eyes. “I trusted her!”

They laughed as they entered the pub. They’d only gotten as far as the bar before noticing that - while the music played - there was a muted atmosphere. Wufei looked around in confusion before he caught sight of a familiar sight. 

Tatiana was sitting at their usual table, a full drink in front of her and a sour look on her face. To one side, Karolina was on the phone, gesturing wildly until she spotted Wufei. “He’s here!” He saw her say, even though he couldn’t hear anything over the music playing. 

All around them there were many different preventers, different departments, watching warily. Wufei looked at Trowa, he looked back at him with calm green eyes. He glanced over his shoulder and saw Heero take a more protective stance in front of Duo. Duo was distracted, eyes wide as he gestured something quickly. Wufei followed Duo’s gaze and spotted Riko staring back in confusion at Duo. “What?” Riko mouthed back, “What the fuck are you trying to say?”

Wufei swallowed and shook his head. He walked up to the table and stared down at Tatiana.

“Marta’s on her way.” Karolina reached out to touch his elbow. “She’s furious.”

“It’s a free country.” Tatiana growled, her expression growing angrier. “I can drink where I like.”

Wufei looked at her, contemplating the drink in front of her. She wasn’t drunk, her anger was clear and unhindered. He frowned, nodding as he stepped forward. He smiled tightly at Karolina. “She’s right. She’s perfectly welcome to drink where she wants.” He looked back at Tatiana. “And it’s singles night. I’d hate to deprive her of a second chance with someone else.” 

That triggered her into movement. Tatiana stood, revealing her beautiful dress that hugged every curve, and stalked around the table. She folded her elegant arms. “I’ll give you a second chance if you beg.” She tossed her head, blond hair in a waterfall of curls bouncing. “I shouldn’t but--”

“Are you out of your mind?” Karolina boggled, she slapped her forehead rapidly. “Are you insane?”

“Karolina.” Wufei said quietly. “Let her be.” He held a hand out to Riko, smiling ruefully as he did. “Let’s go.”

“Uh…” Riko reddened as preventers around her parted. She looked between him and Tatiana. She had clearly stood in such a way to avoid drawing attention to herself and here was Wufei, pointing her out. She nervously put her drink down on the bar and picked up her coat. “You… can just… walk me to my car if you want.” She pulled her coat on, and stared at Wufei’s out-stretched hand for a moment before taking it. Her expression unsure for once. She leaned toward him, her voice unusually frightened and low. “If you want to just pretend…”

Frowning, Wufei turned his full attention to her. “What’s to pretend?” 

Riko tilted her head towards Tatiana, mildly intimidated. “Uh, Krakowski Minor?”

Cupping her cheeks, Wufei stepped in to give her a light kiss. “I know who I want.” He looked at Tatiana, his expression a careful smile. “Enjoy singles night.” He turned away from her, pressing his hand against the small of Riko’s back.

Tatiana’s jaw worked for a moment, before she narrowed her eyes at Wufei. “You want to keep that fuckin’ dumpling?” She made a dismissive gesture, clearly indicating in Riko’s direction. “You fucking limp dicked coward. You’re a fucking faggot like the rest of them!” She spun and picked up her drink, hurling it at Riko’s back. The glass sprayed its contents over them both and it hit Riko in the shoulder before smashing on the ground.

Wufei felt it before he saw it. Riko’s spine tightened for a fraction of a second before she relaxed her body. Dropping her bag to the floor, she spun, hand flexing before forming a fist. In three steps, she took a breath and exhaled, her fist coming up and landing in a precise, tactical strike on Tatiana’s nose. Tatiana didn’t even have time to raise her hands to protect herself. Riko rocked back into a careful stance, her fists raised in case Tatiana fought back. 

Tatiana stumbled back against the table, a trembling hand holding her gushing nose in shock. Riko lowered her fists and glanced at Karolina, who held up her hands in a quick stopping motion. “You should punch her again.” Karolina smirked. “She needs to learn.”

“I think she broke my nose!” Tatiana cried out, her whole body shaking as she sank to the floor. “Wufei! Are you just going to let this fat bitch abuse me like that?”

This time Wufei and Duo reacted, grabbing Riko by the arms as she almost leapt forward. “COME AT ME ONE MORE TIME!” Riko roared, kicking out as both Duo and Wufei wrestled her away. Heero raised an eyebrow and walked towards Tatiana, crouching to pick up Riko’s bag and turned to leave. 

He tilted his head as he looked at her. “You’re a racist and a homophobe. That was assault on your part and self-defence on hers. Think carefully before you come at us again.” He stood slowly and glanced at Karolina. “Make sure Marta talks to her.”

“I will, Heero.” Karolina folded her arms. “But I honestly think that Wufei’s new girlfriend needs to come back and have another pop.”

“Hn.” Heero snorted and turned away.

As he walked past Trowa, the taller former HeavyArms pilot was dialing a number. “Hello Quatre, I know it’s early. No, no- everyone’s fine! No, stay in bed… Yes, I’m sober… but this can’t wait.” He turned away and followed the others. “No, no… really. It’s important. Wufei’s new girlfriend is great. You’re gonna love her.”

* * *

Once the cool night air hit them, the fight seemed to fall out of Riko. Duo cautiously let her go, which allowed Wufei to gather her up tenderly. Duo glanced at the door as both Heero and Trowa followed. Heero had a bag and Trowa had a grin on his face as he was talking into the phone.

"You definitely sunk my battleship." Wufei muttered fondly as he pushed Riko's hair behind her ear. Duo was taken back by the sheer adoration Wufei had for the woman, his liquid black eyes focused entirely on her.

Riko shook her head, "Shit. I'm so sorry!" She looked back at the pub's door, stepping away from him. "I'm... oh god, I'm so--"

Wufei took two steps forward and landed a blistering kiss on her, his hands pulling at her hip, her hair with a hunger that made Duo blush. He turned his back to them, spotting Trowa now wandering away and Heero raising an eyebrow at him with some bemusement. Duo raised a hand to scratch at his neck and jogged to join them.

Heero smirked, "Are you okay?"

"Uh... didn't think Wufei had uh..." He glanced over his shoulder, he snapped his head forward. "Such passion."

Heero lifted one shoulder. "He's a ‘work hard, party intensely’ sort." He jerked his eyebrows up once. "Though it would seem Riko sparks something in him."

"Hmm." Duo looked back and Heero wondered what caused the fleeting jealousy to pass over Duo's expression.

Heero shifted Riko's bag to another shoulder and reached out an arm to reach out and touch Duo's waist. Duo smiled slightly and stepped in closely enough that Heero could wrap his arm around Duo. He in turn reached out his arm to wrap around Heero's back. With Trowa ahead, Wufei behind him and Heero close by, Duo took a moment to tip his head back and look at the dark sky.

Above him, the brightest stars started to break through the blue velvet of the sky and he took a deep cleansing breath. He chuckled quietly and pulled at Heero's waist. "So, there's a cafe near me, does these... totally thick milkshakes."

"That one with the curly fries?" Trowa turned to walk backwards, his phone fading as his call ended. He smiled, leaning to one side. "How's it sound to you? Punching assholes should always be rewarded with curly fries."

Riko tucked her hair behind her ears, blushing as she and Wufei joined the rest of the group. Wufei rolled his shoulders, sharing a look with Riko. He held a hand out to Heero, who handed over her bag. "I think we're ..." He raised a hand, gently brushing his fingers through Riko's hair.

She chuckled lightly. "We're probably going to head on... uh, home."

"Yes." Wufei leaned in, clearly focused only on her. He ran his lips lightly over the rim of her ear.

"So, no fries?" Trowa's voice was dour, but he couldn't hide his amusement. "I'm driving!"

"No fries." Wufei shrugged, pulling Riko away with him as he walked away. "Next time, perhaps."

Heero snorted softly and Duo looked up at Trowa. "Did... Did we just get dropped for a booty call?"

"I think we did indeed." Trowa held up his phone to take a photo. "Hey, Chang!"

Not taking the bait, Wufei only raised a hand to wave. "Night, boys."

"Asshole!" Heero jeered after him.

To the laughter of the gathered former pilots, Wufei's hand curled into a single raised middle finger.

* * *

"So, how do you cope with Marianna?" Duo leaned forward to slurp his drink. "She sounds like an actual fucking nightmare."

"She is." Trowa's smile was crooked as he picked up his last chip and dipped it. "But she's just worried about Quatre. She wants to protect him."

"She seems to have a strong dislike of you." Heero folded his arms, sitting back. His own fries and milkshake was long finished. He slid down, the booth they were in had shiny red seats that made a noticeable squeak with every move he made.

"She does indeed loathe me." Trowa picked up his milkshake glass and made a token effort to slurp the last dregs. He chuckled, "But that's a story for another night." He stood. "Driving back to my hotel if you want a lift, Yuy."

Heero slid a little further down, this time his head touching Duo's shoulder lightly. He flicked a look at Duo's half-full milkshake. "I'll find my own way home."

"Will you really?" Trowa raised an eyebrow, meeting Duo's eyes.

Duo blinked owlishly, lips wrapped around the straw. He looked from Trowa to Heero, still slurping his milkshake. Heero lifted his one visible shoulder slowly and Trowa rolled his eyes. "Get home safely."

"Sure." Heero called after him. "Night!"

* * *

_ And if you close your eyes _

_ Does it almost feel like _

_ You've been here before? _

_ How am I gonna be an optimist about this? _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for joining me again. I rather enjoyed writing this one because there was a moment where I just realised it was time to just be happy, and that I could choose that happiness. This chapter totally did not go the way it was supposed to and I'm totally going back in time, and I'm gonna directly blame both Heero and Wufei for deciding to do things a different way. I sincerely hope you're safe, warm and enjoyed yourself with this.


	16. Universe taking me in full bloom

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gentleness must always rule. The morning after and everyone wants something.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: hahahahahahaha… I’m so old. You know the score. 
> 
> Notes: Relationships are hard work.
> 
> Song: Frou Frou - Must be dreaming

_ Pay close attention _

_ Don't listen to me from now _

_ George'll be flying this one _

_ And it's anyone's guess how he does this _

_ Is the right turn wrong _

_ Universe taking me in full bloom _

_ Fireball careful with that there _

_ See what you made me do _

* * *

#  Chapter 15: Universe taking me in full bloom

* * *

_ I must be dreaming _

_ Or we're onto something _

_ I must be dreaming for _

_ I don't fall in love lawlessly _

* * *

It was the feeling of Pumpkin delicately walking over his back that woke him. Pumpkin wasn't normally allowed in his bedroom. The cat circled his back twice and finally settled to make biscuits on the blanket that pooled around the small of his back. Wufei opened his eyes slowly, staring out across his bedroom. His bathroom door was open and the sound of shower going made him smile lazily.

He stretched slightly, wiggling his toes.

The night had been satisfying. He felt it all over his body and he closed his eyes, dozing gently. He woke up as the bed dipped behind him. Lifting his head, he turned it and cracked open one eye. "How can you be awake?"

"I never sleep well in strange beds." Riko spoke in a deliberately low voice. "How do you sleep on your front?"

"It's comfortable."

She chuckled softly, "That's a blatant lie..." He smiled as she leaned over to kiss his ear, her breasts brushing his shoulder. "And you know it."

"Hmm..."

"It's still early." She whispered. "Sleep."

"What about you?"

"I've got a book."

"I can..."

"Shhh." He felt her fingers brush his hair back. "I'm fine, I'm gonna read. Shh... shh..."

"Hmm." He sighed, trying to stay awake but finding himself sinking into the comfort offered by her gentle movements. “I don’t want you to be bored…”

“Your sheets aren’t starchy and I’ve got a good book…” She lay closer to him, getting comfortable. “Go back to sleep.”

“I could … We could go for brunch…”

“No way, you promised me a home cooked breakfast.” Riko chuckled quietly. “Stop worrying about it, I’m happy here… I’ve got my trashy romance novel, you got a cat sleeping on your butt… what more could I want?”

A quiet snore was her only answer. Riko smiled and held her phone up at a slight angle, trying to get the cat into the shot as well.

* * *

Heero opened his eyes and stared at the strange ceiling. Duo's spare bed was hard, unused. Nothing too out of the ordinary, but the fresh sheets were comfortable. He stretched and sank into the mattress. After the milkshakes and fries, they'd walked back to Duo's apartment while taking a scenic route passed the river. They'd walked in a comfortable silence, arms linked. When they'd reached Duo's front door, it had seemed like an idea to go up and wait for the next bus... then when Heero missed the next bus, it was just plain good sense for Duo to offer a hot drink.

Heero raised a hand to rest over his forehead, letting himself drift.

When it was obvious neither of them wanted to end the evening, it was just obvious that Heero would sleep over in the spare room. Duo had lingered at the doorway. Heero thought that Duo might ask him to come and stay in the main bedroom and had to swallow the disappointment when Duo had shaken his head minutely and wished him good night.

He let his other hand wander down his own body, feeling over his chest, touching his nipple and feeling soft curve of his own stomach... the prickle of pubic hair at the boundary of his underwear.

Heero sighed, feeling a little daring as he ran his own hand over the tenting fabric of his boxer shorts. The smell of the fresh sheets held just a faint reminder of Duo.

Duo's quiet laughter, the purple of his eyes in the street lights.

Heero breathed out and shifted his legs apart, sucking in his bottom lip.

Years had passed since the last time he'd felt so... reckless. So - he gave himself a stroke, rolling his eyes - horny. He gave himself one more firm stroke before forcing himself up, swinging his legs out. Heero sat on the edge of the bed, gripping the side of the mattress for a moment. He was tempted to get back into bed, to carry on touching himself but...

He took a breath and started pulling on his trousers.

Heero stepped out of the bedroom, yawning as he scratched his stomach. He glanced around the living room and then padded towards Duo’s closed bedroom door. It was unusual for Duo to sleep in… well, based on the old days. He raised an eyebrow and raised a hand to knock on the door. There was a quiet moan that stopped him. 

Curiosity got the better of him and Heero leaned into the door. Beyond the wood, there was a gasp.

* * *

It was the realistic feeling of thrusting into the hot depths of Heero's backside that shocked Duo awake. He gasped and pushed himself up, staring down at the pillow in the dim light of his own bedroom. His body throbbed, his braid falling over his shoulder and pooling under him. Duo let his head fall to rest on his forearm, and he breathed heavily - not entirely convinced he was awake. His body was tight, wound up and ready to go. Duo swallowed and rolled carefully onto his side, his cock pulsing heavily as he moved. He wanted in a way he'd not felt for a very, very long time.

Duo lay back and took a moment to reach down and adjust himself, adjusting again and then giving up and stroking when he realised how good it felt. It was a little strange, it had been a while since... since the last time he just touched himself. Since he'd dreamed about sex in such a… dominant way. Heero wanted him, wanting him… spread for him. Duo imagined it reversed, spreading himself for Heero. He pulled his pants up for a moment, looking at his own cock and trying to recapture the fading wet dream...

He panted, hissing at the spiky hot feeling he experienced. “Hmmm…”

He swallowed as he felt something tightened. The dream faded and he had to draw on real memories instead... Heero's low voice, his laugh... his slight smile. That drove him a little further along, he felt like he was stretching. “Huh… Ooohh! Oh!” He closed his eyes and focused on the memory of the way Heero had felt when he'd rode his lap. The way he'd restrained himself but begged to move when it got too much. The wet warmth when he'd cum. The bent hair pin and the intensity that Heero's hard blue eyes had had when Duo had kissed him. He remembered the taste of Heero's mouth vividly and it made Duo stiffen unexpectedly. "Huh-Heero!" He ground his teeth, hissing. "Aah!" He couldn't muffle the little cry, his eyes wide with surprise as his orgasm hit. "UH!"

Duo lay there, panting as the dampness in his underwear cooled a little. He blinked, amused by the feeling of cum on his hand. He'd not engaged in such utter... He hadn't brought himself off like this for... he swallowed as a bitter memory of Ames came back to him.

He got up, hurriedly reaching for his discarded shirt to wipe his hand off. He shook his head, suddenly angry at himself for letting the memory intrude. “Fucking idiot.” He growled at himself. “Fuck’s sake.”

There was a knock at the door.

Duo scrambled to wipe himself off and pull on a dressing gown. He ran his clean hand over his fringe in a vain attempt to look presentable as he opened the door.

Heero stood there, shirt undone. He looked a little out of sorts. He opened his mouth, paused and closed his mouth. He chewed on a lip for a moment. "Morning."

Feeling his own cheeks warm, Duo blinked. "Uh, morning."

"I uh..." Heero raised a hand to scratch at his eyebrow. "I came to check if you were..." He swallowed, "... awake and I... I think I heard you..."

"Oh god." Duo closed his eyes, resting his forehead lightly against the door. "You heard me..."

"Uh..." Heero glanced away. "I didn't mean..."

Duo cracked an eye open, wondering if he was glowing with embarrassment by now. He was surprised to realise that Heero's ears were redder than he'd ever seen. He opened both eyes, surprised by the look of longing he could see in Heero's expression. "Uh, Heero... did you, uh, stay?"

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to listen..." Heero swallowed, he glanced back at Duo, abashed. "You sounded so..." He sighed, wincing. "I'm going to uh... go. Let you..." He frowned slightly. "Look, I'm sorry... you... I was just coming to check in with you, and ... and hearing you... hearing you coming..." Heero bit his lip, his shoulders dropping as he whispered. "I wanted to be there with you, I forgot to respect your privacy." He looked at Duo directly, "I'm so sorry."

Duo chuckled lightly, embarrassed but weirdly flattered by Heero's attention. He reached out and pulled Heero a little closer, pressing his lips against Heero's cheek. He moved to look into Heero's eyes, "Your apology is welcome and accepted." His smile was uncertain. "I wasn't aware you were there."

"Is it bad I hoped you did?" Heero muttered. "I was hoping ..." He trailed off, raising his eyebrows once.

That made Duo laugh. "You'd like me to do this ... for you?"

"Maybe one day... maybe one day we could... demonstrate our techniques to each other?" Heero smiled, leaning now against the door frame.

"A bit... kinky..." Duo chuckled, he wound his fingers into Heero's shirt. "I think I like it..."

"Oh... good." Heero smiled warmly. "Because I'd love to..." He slowly glanced down before dragging his eyes back up. "Figure out exactly what I need to do to... drag that... particular noise...out of you." He stared intently. “Hear my name like that again…”

"Listening very closely, were you?"

"What can I say? I really want to hear you make that noise again." Heero leaned in close, his lips brushing Duo's ear. "I've never heard you call my name like that before." He dropped a light kiss on Duo's ear tip. "I want you... hear you say it again."

Duo felt something in his brain pop. “Okay… uh, okay.” He stared at Heero who pulled back and tilted his head. Duo blinked. “Um…” 

Heero lifted a corner of his mouth. “Too fast?”

Duo blinked again and then nodded slightly. 

A dark, bushy eyebrow rose slightly as Heero took a step back, swallowing. “Bad memory?”

Duo shook his head, now looking a little nervous. His expression turned a little confused. “No… just…” He felt his breath catch. “Uh, no. I…” He gave a quiet laugh, leaning into the door. “Would you believe I just… don’t know what to do next?”

Duo caught the very brief flash of joy that tweaked Heero’s lips before he sighed and answered. “I can… It’s hard when you… don’t know quite how to react.” He shoved his hands into his trouser pockets. “I… I have some experience with interrupted sexual development… Shall we have some breakfast? This… might be easier to explain with some coffee.”

“Uh… interrupted?”

Heero rolled a shoulder, glancing away. “What? Didn’t your doctor stunt your puberty to make sure you fit in that damned small cockpit?”

Duo was startled into laughter… and then went slightly cross-eyed as an old memory surfaced. His expression turned annoyed. “Oh yeah…”

* * *

Zechs finished the briefing, cocking an eyebrow as Yuy took a little longer to pack up his papers. Usually Chang helped him pick up his things but Chang was distracted by his phone. Zechs narrowed his eyes as Chang jabbed irritably at it, texting furiously, and then stalked off to the other end of the conference room to make a call. 

Leaning casually against the table, Zechs inspected his fingernails. “Hear there was some trouble at the Matters.”

“Does one thrown punch count as trouble to you?” Yuy asked, an eyebrow raised. “Hmm… thought you had standards.”

“You’re insufferable.” Zechs rolled his eyes. “So, this new girl Hasigawa is starting fights then? According to Wufei’s ex, Wufei’s new girl’s a wolverine. I saw the post online, Wufei’s ex looks like she’s been in a scrapper.”

Yuy stared at him dourly. “There needs to be more than one punch to really count as a fight.” He paused, tilting his head. “Though given our track record, I understand how your inexperience might confuse you.”

“Yuy. I swear…”

“No, Krakowski was racist and homophobic, Hasigawa was understandably upset at Krakowski’s unnecessary comments about her weight and the drink thrown at her.” 

Zechs folded his arms, “You’re just not going to let me have the gossip.”

“I’m sure Sally will be crowing about it later.” Yuy picked up his papers. “If Krakowski intends to press charges about Hasigawa’s conduct, I’m very certain there are a number of patrons of The Matters willing to testify she was provoked.” 

“You’re not fun, Yuy.”

“I don’t care.”

“At least tell me if it’s true that she broke the little tramp’s nose? Wufei’s ex was screaming about it in her timeline and then the follow up comments… Kinda implied Chang was horrified by it and dragged the new girl out for a talking to.” Zechs sighed, glancing at Chang quickly. He looked back in time to spot Yuy smirk briefly. “She didn’t?”

“She doesn’t quite have the confidence to strike that hard, but certainly she has the tactical eye I would look for in hand to hand combat.” 

“That’s quite a compliment from you.” 

Heero eyed him for a moment, carefully putting his papers down and folding his eyes. He tilted his head in a familiar dismissive way. “She hits better than you.”

Not quite rising to the obvious bait, Zechs pushed away from the table and waved a hand blithely. “Why didn’t I kill you during the war?”

Yuy snorted. “As if you could have.”

“You’re such a bastard.” Zechs sniffed, “By the way, Relena says you missed a call on Saturday.”

That seemed to stop Yuy in his tracks and he looked up, consulting his memory. A brief expression of regret appeared on his face. He closed his eyes briefly and pulled out his phone, he checked his calendar. “We…” A frown grew. “We’re not scheduled for a chat.”

“You schedule your calls?” Zechs chuckled, “Ugh… I knew you were pedantic but… I took a punt.”

“Ass.”

“Pedant.”

“Fucker.”

“Peasant.”

“Planet killer.”

“Oh so original, twat face.”

Heero began typing on his phone one handedly. “I’m telling Relena you’re being an asshole.” 

“Oh, come on!” Zechs spread his hands, “Can’t we just-- are you seriously telling me--” He whipped out his own phone. “I’m telling her you’re being worse!”

* * *

Relena lifted her head tiredly, her phone was buzzing. She reached over and pushed herself up to read the screen. She saw a couple of messages and - concerned by the number received in such a short amount of time - opened up her phone. She stared at the messages from Heero and then the messages from her brother. 

She looked at the time.

She looked at the messages again.

She made her decision and thumbed the call button.

Relena waited patiently for her brother to answer, and did not even bother to wait for him to greet her. “It is 3am on L4.”

“Ah.”

“Yes.”

“Sorry.”

“You will be.”

“What?”

“Stop being an asshole to Heero.”

“But…” There was a certain level of outrage in Millardo’s voice. “He’s started it.”

“Now, I’m finishing it. May I remind you...” Relena was unamused and did not bother to hide the cold rage in her voice. “It’s three AM on L4.”

“...fine.”

“Put Heero on.”

She waited for a moment, hearing Milliardo as he muttered something while he handed over the phone. There was a quiet rustle as Heero came on. “Sorry Relena.”

“You will be.” Relena said in her calm, measured voice - it was her most devastating tone. “Stop being an asshole to my brother and remember I’m on L4 this week.” 

“I’m very sorry.”

“Hm.” Relena rolled her eyes, and rolled onto her back, flopping an arm over her eyes. “Now, how was your date with Duo?”

“How did you--?”

“I thought you looked very happy in the picture. He looked like you’d swept him off his feet. I’m too tired right now, but I expect a full report in my inbox for …” She glanced at her phone’s clock and made a quick mental calculation. “Yes, 11.30 - I’ll be in between meetings then, it will more than make up for this stupidity.”

“Yes, Relena.” Heero sounded sincerely contrite. “Sorry, Relena.”

“Uh huh.” 

Relena hung up, switched her phone to silent and flopped back into bed. 

* * *

_ I must be dreaming _

_ Or pinch me to waking _

_ So undeniably yours _

_ As long as I'm losing it so completely _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Black Lives Matter. My heart is heavy, as a Black fanfic writer, it's hard to summon the energy to be positive. I'm overwhelmed and dipping into social media is not the escape that I need.   
I know that fanfiction provides an escape from life. I just want you to know if you disagree with the statement "Black Lives Matter", then this content is not for you, go on your way. Do good, do what you can. I'm not going to say more.
> 
> I hope - where and who ever you are - you are safe, you are loved and your presence here is welcome. Thank you for taking time to read this.


	17. When we are where we're meant to be

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Trowa returns home, Duo spends some time with Une, Quatre makes his mind up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: hahahahahahaha… I’m so old. You know the score. 
> 
> Notes: Relationships are hard work.
> 
> Song: Sia - Broken Glass

_ This too shall pass _

_ When we are where we're meant to be _

_ Learn things I don't ask _

* * *

#  Chapter 16: _When we are where we're meant to be_

* * *

_ I am, I am gonna get her to me _

_ We fall down like dogs playin' dead _

_ Well, our love's not worth playin' chicken with you _

* * *

The spaceport was busy and they had left it a little late. Finding a space had been a little difficult, but luckily Heero was very good at parking swiftly. It had been a dash through the airport and now they'd hit security, it was time to part. Trowa wrapped his arms around Duo, hugging him tightly. "I'll call you every other weekend." He said, closing his eyes. "Check the calendar and let me know if we need to reschedule."

"Of course." Duo held him back tightly. "And you know you and Quatre can always stay over now." He swallowed, his throat unexpectedly tight. "I'm sorry--"

Trowa pulled back and shook his head. "Don't."

"Okay." Duo stepped back, letting Wufei get in a hug as well.

"Travel safely. Call me when you've arrived." Wufei bunched his hands into Trowa's coat. "Tell Quatre to stop sending gifts for my cat."

"You know that Pumpkin just needs that last kitty ball." Trowa laughed. "The next time we're down, I promise, I'll only let him bring three presents."

"He'll have to buy me a larger home!"

"Don't even suggest it!" Trowa shook his head as he pulled out of the embrace and moved to hug Heero tightly. He dipped his head and muttered into Heero's ear. "Love him entirely."

"I will."

"I'm so glad for you. You deserve this joy."

Heero pulled back slightly, abashed now. "Go on, you'll miss your flight."

Trowa smiled, dipping to pick up his compact rucksack and taking his carry on from Wufei. He took a moment to step back from his odd family and smiled. He pulled his phone out and single-handedly operated it to take a photo. He snorted and turned it to take a selfie, enjoying the expressions on their faces as he stole the picture of them. Pocketing the phone, he made a series of small, quick gestures with one hand ending on a fist.

Later on, during the flight back to L4, Trowa took a few moments to send the selfie on to Quatre before settling in to snooze.

* * *

Quatre carefully put the groceries down on the counter top before going back to lock the door. He'd not yet mastered the fine art of carrying groceries and operating doors. Door locked, he checked his phone and chuckled at the silly photo Trowa had sent him. His lover's face was full of laughter, Wufei looked outraged, Heero was rolling his eyes and ...

Quatre smiled fondly.

... Duo was there, looking surprised.

Wishing he could have been there, Quatre used both hands to quickly type back. 

_ Looks good, we should print this one _ .

There wasn't an immediate answer and Trowa didn't look like he was online. Quatre glanced at the clock. Trowa would be a quarter of the way there and probably fast asleep. Trowa could fall asleep anywhere. Quatre envied him the ability.

Sending one last message to Rashid and then setting his phone down, Quatre began unpacking the groceries. He was glad to know that Trowa was on his way home. He glanced about Trowa's apartment and chuckled to himself. It was time to speak to Trowa about their own lives.

* * *

Duo used his own key to let himself into Une's home. Trieze had left Une an undisclosed amount of money. After the wars, Une had used the money to buy a suitable home for herself and Mariemaia. During the short period of time that Duo was her legal ward, he'd lived here. He took off his coat and was unsurprised to find that Une had kept his house slippers. He shucked his shoes, exchanging them for the slippers and pulled his phone out of his coat pocket. He glanced at the screen, briefly sending a text to Heero.

It was just a smiley face followed by a purple heart. It was a silly code they were developing. Heero had sent him a bored looking face, a coffee and a question mark to which Duo had sent back a thumbs up and a pair of emojis for a salad and a sandwich.

His phone buzzed, Heero had replied with a blue heart.

Duo smiled to himself, daring to send back a winky face and a kissy face. He shoved the phone into his pocket before walking through the hallway to the kitchen. He passed through the dining room, pausing briefly to look out the fancy french doors to the conservatory. The Christmas lights he'd strung up for Mariemaia remained, twinkling gently.

"She sends her love."

Duo blinked and glanced toward Une, the older woman was standing in the doorway, drying her hands on her apron. He smiled faintly. "How is she?"

"Loving her studies, though there was some trouble when a classmate realized who she was." Une wandered back into the kitchen, returning to the stove. "Thankfully, the university was prepared." She opened the oven and peered in. "You hungry?"

"Thought if I didn't eat for a few days in a row, I might work up an appetite for your... uh, home cooking." Duo slunk into a seat, ducking his head at her automatic swipe with a dishrag. 

Une rolled her eyes and moved to pull out a dish from the oven. “I go through all this trouble, ordering the very best take out.”

Duo moved to pick up a pair of plates and to grab himself a glass of water. Une really had bought takeout - she had never liked cooking. They ate quietly, not really talking deeply about anything until Une got up and poured them both a glass of wine. Duo held his hand up, stopping her from pouring a full glass. “I’m driving.” He explained at her raised eyebrow. 

“Hmm.” She said, setting the bottle down. Une picked up her glass, watching the wine swirl for a moment before sipping it. “I suppose asking Heero to come pick you up is a bit early.”

Duo spluttered. 

“Now, come… you think anything happens in headquarters that I don’t know about?”

He raised an eyebrow. “You cannot possibly know.”

“That you and Heero have been approaching this whole dating thing like a pair of binary stars? Spinning delicately around each other for fear of driving the other away?”

Huffing, Duo took a gulp of the wine. “Well, clearly you didn’t hear that from Sally.” He frowned, “Who ratted me out?”

Une smiled smugly. “I rather enjoy the fact you’ve all apparently forgotten I’m still in the group chat.”

“Ugh.” Duo looked up at the ceiling. “Why me?”

Une reached out, touching his arm. She stared at him, eyes slightly unfocused but sincere. She wasn’t wearing contacts and was probably too tired to wear her glasses. He placed a hand over hers and that seemed to break the words free of her. “If he doesn’t love you like you deserve… it will not matter how many wars he helped to end… there will be no place in the galaxy that will protect him from me.” Her brows drew together. “You only need to breathe a word to me… and this time I will listen.”

“I’m sorry that I didn’t…” He trailed off and shook his head, trying again. “Thank you… you’re the best four-months-legal-guardian-definitely-not-my-mom mom that I could ever ask for.”

“I’m not your mom.”

“I know.” He snorted and lifted his glass. “But I bet you haven’t told Heero that you’ll end me if I mess it up with him.”

The smile Une gave him was knowing. “Let’s face it, dearest Zero-Two…” She patted the back of his hand condescendingly. “It’s only a matter of time before Relena calls you...” She tilted her head, a mocking smile on her face. “Or did you forget she’s still on the group chat as well?”

“Oh… oh shit.”

They laughed together at the thought of Relena finding out. 

* * *

Trowa collected his luggage and made his way towards the arrivals lounge. He’d probably get a coffee before making his own way home. He was surprised to see 03HVYAMS held up on a tablet by Rashid. Trowa looked up at Rashid, bemused. “I told him I’d make my own way back today.”

“Yes, change of plan.” Rashid turned the tablet around, tapping at it quickly. “He’s going to meet you there.” 

“And he couldn’t simply send this in a text?”

“He doesn’t know I’m meeting you.” Rashid smiled tiredly. He bent down and picked up his own hand luggage, a beaten old holdall. Trowa raised a querying eyebrow. Rashid laughed low. “I thought I’d warn you that Quatre has poked the vipers while you’ve been away. Marianna is spitting.” 

“Great.” Trowa frowned, “And you’re going to escape and I should come with you?”

“He’s moved into your apartment as you apparently agreed before going to Earth?”

“Yes…” 

“And he’s given all of us a holiday.” Rashid chuckled, “I’m about to set out but realised our departure would overlap with your arrival.” He checked his watch. “I don’t have long, but shall we have coffee?”

“Love to.” Trowa gestured the way forward. “So, what exactly has Quatre done to upset Marianna this time?”

“It doesn’t take much…” Rashid’s expression was kind. “But I think proposing he steps down from CEO has finally snapped the straw for her.”

Rashid glanced at Trowa, who only bit his lower lip in response. 

“You knew.”

“I suspected. We’ve talked briefly about it, but I never thought he’d seriously consider it.” Trowa frowned, adjusting his own bag. “I could try and talk him--”

Rashid held up a hand. “Don’t be ridiculous. If it’s true, it will free him from his father’s legacy. I cannot imagine any father wishing this life on their child.”

Trowa glanced up at Rashid, the other man’s eyes scanning the arrivals hall as they walked towards the cafe. “I don’t know what he’d do instead.”

“I should imagine he wants to talk to you first, gain your perspective.” Rashid replied simply. “He wants to live for himself, yes… but without you? Never again.” He paused at the door of the cafe and looked down at Trowa. “We both know that this cannot be a moment he is taking lighty.” 

“No.” Trowa nodded slowly. “I suppose not.” He gave Rashid a fond smile. “How long do you have?”

The older man’s face creased with genuine joy. “Long enough for a coffee.” 

* * *

Paying the cab fare with a tap of his phone, Trowa picked up his bags from the street and glanced up at the block of flats he lived in. He'd bought it because of its central location, the public transport links and the gym in a basement. Trowa walked towards the lift and checked his phone, he was surprised that Quatre still hadn't gotten in contact. Pulling his keycard out of his pocket, he waited patiently for the lift to reach his floor and walked towards his apartment when the doors dinged open.

He lifted a hand to swipe his card when the front door swung open. Quatre beamed brightly. "Surprise!"

Trowa blinked. "What..." A laugh stumbled out of him and he dropped his bags, throwing his arms around Quatre's slim body to pull him close. "What are you doing here?"

"I knew you'd probably be tired from the journey... I've made sure to kit out the kitchen, get you some fresh fruit..." Quatre pushed himself up onto his toes, reaching up to bury his face in Trowa's neck. "I couldn't wait to see you!"

Pulling back to look at his lover, Trowa smiled fondly. "Thank you." He raised a hand and brushed back Quatre's fringe, "I missed you."

"I missed you as well." Quatre shifted a hand to cup Trowa's, pressing his cheek into it. He closed his eyes and sighed. "I'm glad you helped Duo, but I'm even more glad to have you home." Opening his eyes, he gestured back into the apartment. "Come on, I'll make tea. How was the journey?" He dipped to pick up one of the bags and began walking back into the apartment.

"It was fine, I caught Rashid on his way off colony."

"Ah, really?" Quatre paused and looked up. "I wouldn’t have thought there’s be enough overlap for your to meet."

Trowa chuckled. "We had enough time for a coffee."

"Hmm."

"He mentioned that Marianna seemed to be angry about something." Trowa moved with his bag to the bedroom, and placed it down by the bed. He saw that Quatre had brought an overnight bag and smiled. He walked back into the living room.

Quatre placed the bag down in the living room and moved toward the kitchen. "I suppose Rashid told you about the family agenda..."

"I saw that myself when I checked my mail, and he told me you'd been poking vipers." He leaned against the door frame. "You could take a sabbatical."

"I don't want to."

"I know, but at least until they have gotten used to the idea of you wanting to step down, perhaps?"

Quatre made the tea and then handed Trowa a steaming mug before taking his own and padding through to the living room. He curled up on a plush armchair and sipped his hot drink thoughtfully. He glanced at Trowa who sank gratefully into the sofa and pulled his long legs up to stretch out. "I've thought about it."

"I'm not suggesting you haven't, no matter what you choose you will have my support..." Trowa shifted to recline, his hands cupped around his mug. "I simply hope that your sisters are prepared to support you as well..." He frowned, sipping his drink. "Marianna must be concerned with the stability of the WEI stock if this gets out? I presume you've taken the appropriate precautions."

"I have." Quatre raised an eyebrow. "You're concerned about Marianna's reaction?"

"I don't particularly feel like being accused of trying to ruin your life again, my love."

Trowa's deadpan delivery pulled a gentle laugh from Quatre. "No, I suppose not." He shrugged. "I've told both her and Iria that we were going to discuss it first, and once I was satisfied you were happy, I would then discuss it with them."

"Ah."

"Ah?"

Trowa smiled sardonically. "Your next move would appear to depend on my happiness. Marianna will not be pleased."

Rolling his eyes, Quatre made a face. "Honestly, you're almost as bad as she is. You know what I mean!" He settled back into the seat, his voice lower. "I want a simpler life. I want a quiet, simple life with a job that lets me love you."

Trowa thought about it for a moment. "As long as you're happy with your new job... if you take one."

"Oh, I will." Quatre smiled wanly. "I'm not sure I'm well suited to doing nothing..." He raised one shoulder in a hesitant shrug. "Giving some thought to joining the Preventers..."

"Didn't think you wanted to fight."

"I don't. However, their diplomatic branch are looking for skilled negotiators." Quatre paused, “I would have the chance to put my skills to real use…”

Trowa reached out a hand across to the chair Quatre was sitting in. “You know WEI is highly effective, both as a business and in its charitable ventures. It’s not like you sit on your hands.” He squeezed Quatre’s hand. “Would we have to stay on the colony?”

“What do you mean?”

“I was wondering if we wanted to really make good on our promise to keep in contact… you and I could move to Earth for a few years.” He chuckled, “You could see Pumpkin more.”

“That alone is reason enough!”

* * *

It was early when Quatre woke up, the pre-dawn colony light streaming in through the thin curtains Trowa had in his bedroom. Their bedroom. Quatre rolled his shoulders and glanced down at Trowa. The tall man was dead to the world, fast asleep. Quatre smiled warmly and got up, taking a moment to clean himself and pray. 

He walked about the apartment and spent a little time checking his emails, catching up on his jobs for the day. He’d taken the day for himself to spend with Trowa, appreciating that because of the shuttle-lag that Trowa would experience would mean they’d probably do nothing until he woke up mid-afternoon. It was nice to have a calm start to his morning. He put the kettle on and settled down with a steaming cup of tea to take in the dawning colony light sweep across the cityscape. Trowa’s high apartment gave him a view over the curvature of the colony. L4 was an ostentatious place, but it was beautifully developed.

The beginning of the day on a colony couldn’t strictly be called a sunrise, but the colony architects had been careful in their timing. He hadn’t appreciated it until he had been to Earth and seen a sunrise. Watching the natural beauty had made him pay more attention to the technical accomplishments of his own home. He raised his tea and inhaled deeply. While Trowa favoured plain teas, he had slowly come around to enjoying some of the more lightly flavoured teas that Quatre enjoyed as well. 

It was this he needed. 

The knowledge that Trowa was with him on his decision was good, but this morning - its cool dawn light gently beginning to warm - gave him the assurance he needed. He was making the right decision to join the Preventers and pass the CEO role on to one of his sisters. It was unlikely to be Marieanna. Despite her acumen with accounts, she could not be counted on to make the necessary decisions. Illana was the most likely candidate, she had the heart and the brain to take WEI in the direction their father and he had started. He sipped his tea and made a conscious decision to think about it properly later. He turned his head slightly to listen to the shuffling in the other room, Trowa was up now. Quatre smiled to himself and got up to begin making a simple breakfast. 

Could their life be like this? Quatre certainly hoped so. Much like a mechanical sunrise, Quatre was not about to take what he had for granted again.

When Trowa emerged from the bedroom, low riding pyjama bottoms tied sloppily… and low enough on the hip to clearly state that the pyjama bottoms were all he was wearing. Quatre smirked as the tall man padded up behind him to drop a kiss on his neck. “Morning.” Trowa yawned. “You smell good.” He snagged a piece of toast, unbuttered and stuffed a corner into his mouth as he moved to make himself a coffee. 

Taking a moment to appreciate the other man’s lean form, Quatre returned his attention to the eggs, chuckling. “I wasn’t expecting you to be awake for another couple of hours. I thought perhaps the shuttle-lag…?“

“Hmgrh.” Trowa chewed, tossing the half of toast onto his own plate. “Napped on the shuttle.”

“Hmm.” Quatre hummed knowingly, “Oh my, but I booked the whole day…” He wrapped his arms around Trowa’s waist. “What will we do? Where will we go?”

Trowa raised an eyebrow, a warm smile dawning on his face. “I have a few ideas…”

* * *

_ I'm not discardin' you like broken glass _

_ There are no winners when the die is cast _

_ There's only tears when it's the final task _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for being here, thank you for spending time reading this. I sincerely hope you are safe, warm and know you are loved. I thank you so much for your time.  
(I also thank you for your support if you commented on my last author's note - it touches my heart and reassures me we will lift each other up. If your comment "disappeared", I will only say this: It's not my place to educate you about dog-whistles.)


	18. We’re a crooked love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You knew it couldn't last... surely?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: hahahahahahaha… I’m so old. You know the score.   
Notes: Relationships are hard work. Some men don't change.  
Song: Taylor Swift - I wish you would

_ 2 A.M., here we are _

_ See your face _

_ Hear my voice in the dark _

_ We're a crooked love _

* * *

#  Chapter 17 - We’re a crooked love

* * *

_ In a straight line down _

_ Guess you wanna run and hide _

_ But it made us turn right back around _

* * *

"So, why exactly aren't you out there?" Relena leaned forward, her chin cupped in her hand. The difference to L4 meant it was late afternoon for her but early morning for him. Heero rolled his eyes as he sipped his coffee.

"Because I have a scheduled video chat with you." Heero tilted his head. "You know I like keeping my appointments."

"Yes, but you're going on a date!"

"No, I'm going game shopping with Duo because we finished playing our latest game."

Relena smiled knowingly. "It could be a date. You could make it into a romantic date with just a couple of tweaks..."

Heero started shaking his head and then paused. "... Such as?"

Relena clapped her hands over her mouth, making a high-pitched noise. Heero held a hand up and winced. "Relena, it's not a date! We're taking it slow..."

"No, not today, Satan."

"Satan?"

"You are definitely going to acknowledge this wonderful moment! Oh my god!!" She looked ten years younger and there was a fire in her eyes that he'd not seen for many years. Heero swallowed and sat back, he knew when to let Relena work out her enthusiasm for a project. She grinned brightly as she picked up a pen and opened a notebook. "Okay, start with... where are you going?"

"Game shop. Maybe coffee shop if we get hungry."

Her expression froze and she clicked the pen twice. "That's it?"

"Well, yes, Relena. We're just... buying a new game."

"That's not exactly romantic." She tapped the pen against the paper for a moment before doodling something. "How about, coffee first, chat about what kind of game you want to play... maybe then go scope out the shop..." She looked up. "Is it still by the fancy stationery shop?"

"Uh... yes."

"Great." She looked off to one side and picked up her phone, tapping away at it for a moment. "So, have you also looked at what kind of books he's been reading?"

Heero frowned as he thought. They hadn't really discussed much beyond gaming and their work.

Relena looked up from her phone. "Never mind, Hilde says Ames told him reading wasn't a good use of his time. Since he hasn't talked to her about the latest..." She squinted at the phone screen, her expression incredulous. "I'm not going to say that out loud... She says he probably hasn't gone back to reading..." She nodded knowingly. "You should take him by the book shop on main, and see if there's anything he's interested in. The new manga adaptation of Okorafar is in... you could pick that up at the same time."

"Could I?" Heero chuckled. "Please tell me you and Hilde aren't--"

"Coordinating? No, of course we aren't." Relena waved a hand blithely. "We're just two very concerned former girlfriends who'd like to make sure you two end up together happily."

"Relena..."

"Heero."

He tried to glare at her, but Relena was too good at holding her nerve now. She simply smiled gently. "I just want you to be happy and I think that maybe Duo will be good for you." Her smile froze a little. "I know he's been through a tough time, and Hilde thinks he needs a little space... I nominally agree with her, but also feel now's a good time to press your advantage to secure him."

"He's not an advantage point on a map."

"He is not." Relena glanced at her phone before putting it down. "But I do know men like Ames. I know that he's persuasive and he will try again."

"You have information?"

Relena’s eyebrows drew together as she stared at him. She looked for a moment like she was thinking how to break bad news to him gently. "No, Heero. I just know men like that." She glanced down for a moment before nodding and looking up at him with fresh determination. "But I also know you. You're right. He's not some objective to be won on a mission, but I also know if you're too cautious... you might not get very far with him." Relena huffed. "And you've waited so long for this!"

"We're going to try dating." Heero offered quietly. "I think we're... we're going very slowly."

Relena narrowed her pretty eyes at him suspiciously. "Have you actually uttered the words 'try dating' with him?"

He rolled his eyes. "Yes."

"Like you've agreed to enter into some kind of romantic experience with him?"

"We're basically dating anyway."

"You need to tell me everything."

"Relena."

"No, seriously. Like have you kissed?"

"Relena!"

She laughed heartily. "Okay, okay!" She held up her hands in surrender. "I know, I know... It's just been so long since..." She leaned forward to murmur fondly. "I've not seen you this happy for a long time. I'm so glad for you."

"Uh huh." Heero replied, deadpan. "So, when do I get to demand details about Dorothy?"

Relena's eyes widened. "Who told you?"

"You did."

"I did not!"

"Relena, you literally just confirmed it."

"Oh shit."

"Exactly." He leaned back in his chair, smug for a moment. "So, have you kissed?"

"Oh, but that's different!"

"I reassure you, it is not."

* * *

Duo tucked a lock of hair behind his ear and glanced at his phone again. Hilde had sent him a few cryptic text messages about him needing to update his reading list. He frowned and shook his head, sending back a confirmation that he was just out buying computer games.

He chewed on his lip for a moment. He'd fallen out of reading, finding it difficult to find a peaceful moment to get lost in a book... and the books he had been reading hadn't really been challenging. They were romance trash and ... a memory of Ames loudly reading a passage from the book in a snide tone crashed into his mind. Suddenly, he was aware that Heero probably wasn't coming, maybe he had the wrong day, maybe it was the wrong shop. He thought about checking his phone but then thought he should just go. What was he doing here? Wasting Heero's time on stupid games...

Closing his eyes, he focused for a moment on just breathing. Ames wasn't here. His opinion didn't matter. He opened his eyes and looked around. There was a couple having a quiet but intense argument to one corner, a pair of dogs begging for treats from an old woman... the 'sale' sign in front of him could be read as SASA LELE... a pair of teenagers walked past, one holding the other's hand with a protective look on their face. His eyes lingered on a bag he spotted at one of the stalls.

He took another deep breath and moved to crouch down by the store front. He moved his braid over his shoulder, wishing he'd worn it up. He felt the hair - a funny kind of coarse but fine at the same time. He touched his phone, the case was a touch rubber like material. He adjusted his glasses, the frame was a flexi-metal - he forgot the name - but suited him fine. Reaching down, he touched the laces on his boots.

Familiar combat boots, precisely laced stopped in front of him and Heero crouched down. His expression was concerned but he didn't say anything.

Duo wondered if it would be too much to just stay there for a moment longer. He took another deep breath, panicking for a moment as it shuddered. Heero tilted his head and held out his hand, fingers spread. Duo reached out to touch his little finger, then ring finger and lingered on Heero's middle finger.

"Three things?"

Heero's voice was one. Duo closed his eyes, nodding. The owner of the dogs was laughing at something. The music playing in the shopping mall was intrusive and bland. He opened his eyes and looked at Heero's hand. He focused on breathing in calmly, holding his breath and then letting it go slowly. Two things he could smell...

He stood slowly and pressed his nose against his wrist. The moisturizer he'd used, the lotion for his hands had been some fancy scented one that Une had jammed in his pocket when she'd noticed how dry his hands were. He took a moment, breathing again. There was a coffee shop nearby, he could smell freshly brewed coffee.

He took another breath and found that one a little easier. Heero held out a bottle. "Water?"

Duo nodded and took a long gulp. It was cool and fresh. He swirled another gulp around his mouth, finally handing the bottle back. His smile was tight. "Sorry."

"I'm glad I could help." Heero replied softly, "You don't need to apologise for ... I'm thinking … a panic attack?"

"Oh, no. No, I'm fine..." Duo waved, trying to make a laugh sound real. "Just got to... uh, thinking about stupid..." It was Heero's hand rubbing his shoulder firmly that made him stop babbling. He stilled and nodded. "Hilde sent me a text and I was thinking... about something Ames did..." He looked at Heero, trying to look at him properly.

Heero's expression was clear and concerned. His hard blue eyes, as ever, earnest. His attention was on Duo, there wasn't even a hint of weariness and falseness. Here was Heero Yuy, a Gundam Pilot and his ... Duo blinked... partner? Lover was too intimate, boyfriend too pretentious. He felt himself begin to spiral again, thoughts beginning to yammer that Heero would take offense. He looked down, unable to keep looking at Heero. Unwilling to see the weariness creep in.

"Duo."

He pursed his lips and shook his head. "I'm fine. We should get a move on."

"Okay." Heero didn't sound certain and moved his hand off Duo's shoulder. "Can I... can I hold your hand?"

That made Duo stop. He risked a glance at Heero, swallowing bitterly. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay." Heero dropped his hand, misunderstanding why Duo was apologising. Duo felt worse then. 

When Heero subtly took a step back, Duo felt a hot flush of embarrassment and rage. A nonsensical thought flashed through his head as he bitterly spat. "Ames can't have this."

"What?"

Duo reached out to grab the hand Heero had offered. "I'm a bit stuck thinking you don't want me... and I'm trying to get unstuck but... I mean I'm sorry for being stuck." He looked down at their hands, squeezing lightly. "I don't know what to do."

"Hmm..." Heero said after a moment's thinking. "I think I can only tell you that I'm very keen about this... uh..." He lowered his voice, a touch of uncertainty in his voice. "Date? Is that okay?"

"It's not much of a date, I'm rubbish--" Duo bit his lip and looked away. "It's our date, isn't it? It can be functional and we'll have our fun."

"Yes." Heero nodded. "Though... if Hilde's text upset you, it might be a good idea to maybe rearrange our plans slightly. Maybe we go for some uh... tea?" He gestured away from the game shop, "The coffee shop's bakery is pretty good."

"That sounds great, actually." Duo nodded slightly. "She... she didn't mean anything by it. Just ... reminded me that I've not had a chance to catch up on my reading..."

Heero stopped, groaned and rubbed his free hand over his face.

"What?"

"Just..." Heero gestured onward. "Let me buy you brunch and I'll explain..."

Duo stared at him, anxiety rising again. He looked down toward the coffee shop and then back to Heero. He swallowed. “Uh, sure. Okay.”

“You have nothing to worry about, but I think I owe you an apology.” Heero raised a hand to scratch the back of his head. He seemed to think for a moment, before setting his shoulders straight. “I asked Relena for some … advice.” His eyebrows drew together in concern. “About… uh, dating.”

“You asked your ex-girlfriend for advice about dating me?” Duo blurted before he even thought about it. He clapped his hands over his mouth. He couldn’t help being amused by the concept and let out a little laugh. Duo shook his head and started walking toward the coffee shop.

“She… suggested turning this into a date and I… I thought she might be able to give me some insight about how to… impress you.” Seeming to sense Duo’s relief, he sighed heavily. “Of course she has contacted Hilde… somehow.”

“Ah, the book recommendation.”

“Yes.” Heero jammed his hands in his pocket. “I was going to mention that there was a book I wanted to pick up, and then we’d take a spin by the bookshop on main.” He gave Duo a sidewards glance. “But if even the mention of it provokes bad memories…”

Pausing to link his arm in with Heero’s, Duo shrugged. “How about we take it one step at a time? Brunch sounds good though…”

“Have you eaten this morning?”

Duo gave Heero a brief uncertain smile. “Didn’t think about it.” He patted his stomach. “But now you’re treatin’ me, I think I could definitely chew on something.”

* * *

Duo stared down at the perfectly constructed latte, a little delighted by the perfect heart in the frothy milk. He pulled out his phone and took a photo, careful to keep it to just the coffee cup. He took a moment to crop the image and then posted it to his social media, a single blue heart as its caption. It was the first thing he’d posted in months. Ames had never liked it when Duo posted anything. Posting this coffee, secretly marking the date… it was a little rebellion. He closed the app as Heero sat down to join him. 

The pastry Heero had chosen was positively decadent. Duo almost regretted his choice until he bit down on the warm toast. The freshly baked bread, toasted with a serving of tangy marmalade was delicious. He hummed appreciatively, only flicking a glance up finally at Heero when he heard the other man give a low chuckle. Heero had his hands cupped around his coffee cup and a helplessly adoring look in his eyes. 

Duo blushed and held out his toast. “It’s good.”

“I guessed.” Heero replied. “You always knew good food.”

“Hah.” Duo brushed his fingers off and picked up his drink, sipping it. “Feels nice knowing there’s no rush.” He smiled gently at Heero. “I could spend all day like this…”

Heero nodded, chewing on his pastry. 

Duo was about to say something when his phone pinged. Then Heero’s phone began vibrating discreetly. Surprised by the timing, they both reached for their phones and checked their messages. Seeing Hilde’s name in his notifications, Duo shook his head and switched his phone off. He watched Heero shake his head and dismiss a couple of notifications himself. 

Smiling uncertainly, Duo half shrugged. “Uh, I only posted a picture of the coffee.” He looked down at their meal. 

“With a blue heart.” Heero nodded slowly. “Yes, Relena is elated. Zechs demands I confirm it.” He raised his phone and took a photo of his pastry. He glanced at Duo, waggling his eyebrows in an exaggeratedly suggestive manner. “I’m going to post it with…” He looked away for a moment. “Would an aubergine be too much?”

“Uh…” Duo coughed in surprise. “Maybe yes. How about… a thumbs up?”

“And paint myself as the bad guy? Oh no, I’m not risking the wrath of the group chat.” He seemed to be gesturing through many different emojis. “I need something that will simultaneously demonstrate my adoration of you but also serve as a potent ‘fuck you’ to Zechs.”

Duo glanced up, thinking. “Tongue sticking out.”

“Tongue sticking out. Yes.” He nodded, tapped at his phone a couple more times and then gave a brief smile of satisfaction. “Notifications off, ring tone off.” He raised a smug eyebrow at Duo, “Now to completely ignore our phones while Zechs goes insane.”

Duo laughed. “You’re not mad?”

Shrugging, Heero gave him a wonky smile. “You’re okay with people knowing we’re out together? I get to piss off Zechs?” He reached out and stroked the back of Duo’s hand. “Why would I be mad?”

It was such a sappy form of joy that filled Duo and he wasn’t quite ready for how it affected him. All he knew was that he didn’t need to move his hand.

* * *

"Give me a moment." Heero said as they got up to go. He walked to the counter and ordered some of the bread. He glanced at Duo and smiled. With the weekend coming up, they'd probably end up playing games together and maybe...

Duo smiled back at him.

... maybe he could convince Duo to stay the night, maybe have some of this delicious toast for breakfast. He thanked the barista who served him and put the bread into his backpack. They headed on out of the cafe and turned towards the games shop. They'd only gotten a little way, when Heero heard a woman shout. "Yah-ee! YAH-EE!"

Pausing, the pair turned and looked around.

Running up the street, a familiar blonde head ducked between the crowds of shoppers. Heero glanced at Duo, who shrugged. "I've never really met her... so... maybe she's calling you?"

"Yah-ee?"

"I imagine she's never really listened to Wufei whenever he's talked about you."

"She's met me. She knows my name."

There was a brief flash of humor in Duo's face. "You optimist, you."

Heero narrowed his eyes at Duo before turning back to Tatiana. She was smartly dressed, a small messenger bag flapping behind her as she jogged towards them. She slowed to a stop nearby and took a moment to fix her hair. Swallowing, the woman brought herself tall and approached. "Thank you for stopping." She said, chewing her lip for a moment. She looked at Duo and then focused back on Heero. "I was hoping you'd still be here."

"Still?" Heero asked.

Tatiana ignored him. "Look, you need to speak to Wufei."

"I certainly do not."

"You don't know how hard I've been working with him. The war broke him..." She pursed her lips. "He deserves a happy ending and I'm still willing to marry him."

Heero folded his arms, tilting his head. "Tatiana. He doesn't want you any more."

"That's not true, and you know it. Wufei and I have been dating for years, he was going to marry me! We were happy!" Tatiana took in a sharp breath and stopped herself. She clenched her hand and swallowed. "That... other woman doesn't know him like I do. Rebounds will never work out."

Heero shook his head. "You need to give him some space, Tatiana. Let him come back to you if he... even ever wants to..." He frowned, trying to find kind words for her. "You need to find your own balance, become a person independent of him."

"You just don't get it." Tatiana welled up and she clenched her hands together. "You might have fought in the war, but you just don't--"

"Know it's over?" Duo interrupted, his voice was muted. "You were there for him during the nightmares?"

Tatiana looked at Duo hopefully. "Yes, he suffered so much and I was there for him every time. He just needs help remembering that. He just needs..." She bit her lip. "You should talk to him... he's got to know that this... this is just a rebound."

Duo stared at her for a long moment, before taking a half step away. "We've got to... Let's... I gotta go."

Heero glanced at him, nodding. "Of course."

"You can't let Wufei down. She'll break his heart!" Tatiana took a step forward, reaching out to grab Heero's arm. "Please, I just want him to be happy."

He stared down at her hand, genuine anger starting to bubble. Heero took a moment to take a breath, counting silently to ten before he raised his eyes to glare at her. "You used a disgusting ethnic slur in reference to Hasigawa. Why on earth would I convince Wufei against his wishes to come anywhere near you?"

"Ethnic slur? Because I called her what she is - a fat dumpling?" Tatiana blinked. "She's not worth his time, she's fat and ugly and..." Her face briefly twisted in disgust. "Any babies she has with him will be awful."

"Your ignorance is staggering." Heero shook his arm slightly, trying to get her off. "Let go or I'll be forced to take action."

"But--"

Duo's hand shot out and grabbed her by the wrist, his fingers pinching specific points. Tatiana instantly let go of Heero and opened her mouth. Duo moved in close, holding her hand up between them. Tatiana looked outraged but didn't make a sound. Duo tilted his head. "Listen carefully, Miss Krakowski. I know what you're going to say. I know what you think you're doing but when you get back and... you know, in about two hours, Ames is going to call... check in, he'll say, wondering how it went..." Duo ground his teeth for a moment, hissing. "Seems like he's interested in you, but really he's more interested in what I said, what I did. You tell him: Bullshit bomb failed to deploy load." He leaned closer. "Repeat the message."

"Buh... Bullshit bomb failed to deploy load."

"Good."

Tatiana clearly didn’t understand why she was needed to say it and Heero rested his hand gently on Duo's shoulder and squeezed. "You're going to hurt her." He said quietly. "Let her go."

Duo swallowed, blinking as if surfacing from his rage. While he loosened his grip, he didn't entirely let go. "How did you know where to find me?"

"I... I wasn't looking for you." Tatiana pulled at her hand. "My sister, Karolina, sent me a post... saying you were here with him... and she said it would be a good chance to try and convince Heero to talk to Wufei..."

"Karolina?" Heero asked. "She doesn't think you and Wufei should get back together."

"That's what she says to your face!" Tatiana cried. "But... give me my hand! I'll show you!" As soon as Duo let go, she dived into her bag for her phone. Pulling it out, she unlocked it and brought up her messages. She held out the phone to show Duo. "See!? She's just trying to get us all back where we should be."

Sure enough there was a print screen of Duo's post and a text suggesting that if she hurried, maybe Tatiana could catch them. Heero frowned as Tatiana gestured breezily at him. "See? Karolina might be ... a lesbian... but she really does believe in the power of true love."

Heero blinked as Duo stepped closer to him, bumping into him. He looked at Duo's face, now ashen and eyes wide but searching the crowd. Heero frowned and looked at Tatiana closely. "Who else did you tell?"

"Tell?" Tatiana shook her head. "I haven't told anyone."

"You can't tell me you were just hanging around in this area..."

"If you must know, I was taking new head shots for my CV..." She lowered her voice. "I need to find a decent job or Marta will cut me off."

"And you were just... here... waiting?" Duo asked, his voice flat and uninterested now.

That triggered something in Heero and he tramped down his nerves. They were very exposed. He did a quick look around and nodded. He reached out and grabbed Tatiana's hand. "Come on, we can talk more in the cafe."

"Really?"

Once inside, Heero sat her down at a table. "Listen to me. Why take pictures today in town?"

Tatiana narrowed her eyes at them, looking between them before folding her arms. "I wanted new headshots."

"And Karolina just happened to text you?"

"Yes." Tatiana pouted, "You all think alike, like this is some kind of conspiracy... I told you I just want to get back with Wufei."

Duo got up from the table, backing away. He shook his head at Heero. "Ames... this is all him."

"This is absurd!" Tatiana laughed, "Ames was right... you're all so broken, you need him."

"I do not need him." Duo snapped back at her. He shook his head urgently, eyes sliding to Heero. "We gotta go, this ain't... this ain't safe."

Heero held up his hand, making a quick gesture that communicated that he knew and that he needed a little more time. It seemed to mollify Duo for long enough that Duo sat back down. Heero turned his attention to Tatiana, gesturing her phone. "Ring Karolina and confirm she sent the text."

"It says it's from her."

"It says it's from her, but if you're certain she sent it, then calling her to confirm is not a problem."

Tatiana chewed on her lip for a moment before picking the phone up and making the call, placing it on speaker. There were two rings before Karolina answered with a wary voice. "What do you want now?"

"I'm here with Heero, tell him what you sent me." Tatiana set the phone down, so she could smugly fold her arms and glare at him.

"When?"

"The text this morning."

"What text?"

Tatiana blinked. "No, you always do this."

"Are you high?"

"No, you always pretend you don't text me, but you sent me the text this morning about meeting them..."

"Who?" Karolina sounded increasingly awake and annoyed. "Tatiana, where are you? Are you drinking again?"

"I'm not, I told you, I'm dry!" Tatiana picked up the phone, she took a screenshot of the text message and then dropped it into the call. "There, see, that message!"

There were a few moments of silence before Karolina quietly spoke. "Tatiana... I didn't send you these messages. I haven't texted you since you told me you thought I was ..." She muttered something and then spoke up. "I haven't texted you. We talk on the phone or we talk in person but... I've blocked you on all my accounts. If you're getting texts, they're not from me." She paused for a moment. "And I don't even have this Duo guy on my accounts, I only follow Wufei and Trowa..." She sounded a little worried. "Tats... who's texting you?"

"I... I don't... I've got to go." Tatiana hung up, dropping the phone to the table as if it was dirty. She flicked a scared look at Heero. "What... what does it mean?"

Heero didn't answer her and instead looked at Duo grimly. The other man was pale, eyes fixed on the phone. Heero looked for the right words, the ones that would make Duo feel safe. He couldn't find them and reached out his hand instead. Duo stared at Heero's hand and - for a moment - hesitated before moving to touch him.

Heero let go of a breath he didn't know he was holding. He squeezed Duo's hand. "We’ll.. we’ll figure it out."

* * *

_ I wish you would come back _

_ Wish I'd never hung up the phone like I did _

_ I wish you knew that _

_ I'd never forget you as long as I'd live _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you ever so much if you join me here. In these strange times, please continue to fight for yourself, for the people around you and the life we all deserve. Take care of yourself. 
> 
> So Tatiana comes like a harbinger. It's not over. Thank you for joining me.


	19. Not Phased by Chemistry

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Duo makes some time for himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: hahahahahahaha… I’m so old. You know the score.   
Notes: Relationships are hard work.  
Song: Skin - Just let the sun

_ I walked into the sea _

_ Those waves they came for me _

_ Egged on by scarlet sun _

_ (But) I will never burn_

* * *

# Chapter 18: Not phased by chemistry

* * *

_ My eyes stay liquid free _

_ Not phased by chemistry _

_ The whole ten yards I see _

* * *

Noin sat on the corner of her desk, reading the information Heero had brought to Une’s attention. “It’s incredibly well done and very out of our jurisdiction.” She lowered the tablet to glance at Une. “The local law enforcement agency should be able to handle it. The division designed to combat domestic violence have reacted well the last time Ames appeared.”

“Hmm. Yes, I know.” Une walked around Noin’s office and paused by the wall of photos. She seemed to check the dust on the frame that held an image of Trieze. Finding a little, she rubbed her fingers together and moved on to look at a different photo. 

“Heero’s done some preliminary investigation, it would seem that Duo’s former lover had plenty of sock-puppet accounts…” Noin pursed her lips for a moment. “Hooked into a friend of a friend’s account to gain access to a comment left on Duo’s post…” Noin shook her head. “Ugh, time to purge the friends lists again.”

“Yes.” Une was now intently staring at a wooden puzzle on Noin’s shelves. “It would seem we need to all consider taking action.”

“To protect ourselves and our own.” Noin said in a distracted tone. She finished flipping through the file and put the tablet on her desk. She folded her arms. “He’s a domestic abuser.”

“Yes.”

They stared at each other. A moment passed and Une’s jaw worked. 

“He’s my boy, Lucrezia.”

“I definitely acknowledge that, but we are not and never will be a personal police force. That’s not why we set up this agency. We’re here to prevent wars, not resolve personal conflicts.” Noin got up from her desk and put a reassuring hand on Une’s elbow. “If he does anything that puts the ball in our garden, we will be there… but the police have got this.”

“I know… I also know you occasionally go out for drinks with Commissioner Lentz.”

“Ah.”

Une smiled sharply. “The Preventers are not a personal police force, Lucrezia… but please do feel free to remind Lentz that he’s my boy.”

Noin laughed as she nodded. “Uh huh. Okay, mom.”

Une rolled her eyes, huffing. 

Noin moved around her desk and sat down, opening up her emails. “Oh, and did I mention Zechs is out to lunch with Royston.”

Une quirked an eyebrow, “I thought we weren’t using the Preventers as our own personal police force.”

“Oh, it’s just… Lunch with the cyber crimes commander?” Noin shrugged. “You know how it is… Zechs can’t stand it when someone else dicks with Heero.”

Une took a moment and then walked towards the door. She paused at the threshold and glanced back at Noin, a smile pulling at her lips. “They have a weird relationship.” 

“I try not to think about it.” Noin chuckled. She folded her arms and tilted her head. “Hope Ames realises what’s he’s done… before it’s too late.”

Une’s smile faded, her expression cooling. “I find dead men rarely make good choices.”

* * *

Heero hadn't said a word when Duo turned up at his office at the end of the work day, a larger duffel bag slung over his shoulder than his normal gym bag. Wufei had nodded with satisfaction and held out his hands expectantly. Duo tossed him a set of keys and stood by Heero's desk, his expression grim.

Wufei paused for a moment at the door and then returned to Duo's side, jabbing his finger onto Duo’s chest. "I would be absolutely kicking your ass if you toughed it out."

"I know. I'm here, aren't I?" Duo replied. "Just... make sure you water the plants on the balcony, and the terrarium only needs a spritz."

"Uh huh." Wufei rolled his eyes. He glanced at Heero. "Don't be complacent."

Heero glared at Wufei, his expression incredulous. "I know how to secure a location."

"Hmm." Wufei looked between them. "I'll be over with food tomorrow evening."

"You don't--" Duo started before sighing when both Heero and Wufei folded their arms silently. "Ugh, fine. Just... can we keep this from hitting the others? I don't want Quatre and Trowa moving to Earth because I'm..." He trailed off at their hard, bored stares. Shaking his head slightly, he flopped into the seat in front of Heero's desk. "Fine."

Heero turned his attention to Wufei. "You're welcome to bring Riko, she should get used to the way we work."

Wufei arched an eyebrow before nodding. "Yes, I think that's one of the mistakes I made before..." He reached out to squeeze Duo's shoulder. "Get some proper sleep tonight."

"Sure." Duo patted his hand. "Sorry for... Thank you for caring."

Wufei squeezed his shoulder once more and then left. In the short time since Tatiana had unwittingly been a cat's paw, Duo had stayed at Lady Une's for a night while Heero had spent a large part of the Sunday investigating how Ames could have discovered how to track Duo via his social media posts. Duo had been incredibly thorough with breaking things off with Ames, once his tracking had been discovered in the first place. It was alarming to realise that Ames might have gone further and hacked into Duo's friends and family. Tonight, Heero had asked him to stay with him. Wufei had offered as well, and Une was clearly prepared to have Duo stay much longer … but Duo had decided he’d rather stay with Heero. It was overwhelming to have so much help.

Heero had made it very clear that he was happier that Duo had asked to stay with him.

Duo sighed and shook his head. "Thank you for letting me stay with you."

Heero flicked a look at him contemplatively for a moment before signing off his computer. "I'd far rather you came to stay at mine for a better reason than you being forced."

"I'm hardly being forced."

Heero tossed him a disbelieving glance before shaking his head and pulling on his jacket. "I need to make a stop before we go." He walked around the desk and knelt by Duo's chair. He sighed heavily and hesitantly reached up to touch Duo's cheek gently. "Une has given us dispensation to check out a few weapons."

"Ames..." Duo pursed his lips for a moment. "Ames isn't anywhere on that level. This isn't the war..." He frowned, cupping his hand over Heero's. "He likes to pretend that I have raging PTSD, that I'm jumping at all the shadows... Don't let him win this. We do not need an arsenal and you don't want to hurt him."

"I actually do."

"Fine, but kill him?"

Heero stared at him evenly before dropping his gaze. "No. I don't want to kill him."

"Exactly." Duo moved his own hand to Heero's cheek and stared calmly at him. "So, personal defensive weaponry only... I'm not going to pass up the chance to pepper-spray that asshole."

Heero snorted. "You want to mace him instead of shooting him?"

Glad to hear that Heero was amused, Duo laughed. "Well, sure. Non-lethal and fucking painful."

"I suppose so."

"No, no... that's not the best bit." Duo leaned forward, making sure to whisper into Heero's ear. "It's the fact I can do it again and again..."

Heero fractionally turned his head to press a kiss against Duo's cheek. "Alright, you've convinced me."

Duo sat back. "Thought you might come around." He raised a hand to shove his fringe back. "He doesn't get to take you away from me, Heero. Remember that, no matter what he does... he doesn't get to take your peace away."

Heero stared at him for a long moment. "He won't take you."

"He can't take me. Not again." Duo swallowed. "You've got to trust me."

"... I will try."

"Good." Duo stood, helping Heero to stand as well. "Because frankly, I was hoping the next time I'd sleep over at yours would be because we were a little further down the line..."

"The line?"

Duo picked up his holdall. "Not being coy, buddy... A little closer to, you know, sleeping together. I hope?"

"Ah." Heero's eyebrows shot up. "Yes... uh, yes... that's..." He gestured to the door. "That's a mutual goal."

Duo chuckled softly. "Maybe it's time to come up with some mission specs..."

* * *

Heero tried not to hover while Duo got settled in the spare room. He ignored the self-berating thoughts about how sparse the room was and focused instead on making some hot drinks for them both. He folded his arms and leaned against the counter while he waited for the kettle to boil. Upstairs, he could hear Duo moving about. Heero hoped he was making use of the small wardrobe. He poured them both some tea, and carried them carefully up the stairs.

He shifted the mugs into one hand to allow himself to quickly knock on the door. Duo appeared at the door quite quickly, quietly thanking Heero as he took one of the cups. Heero shrugged and took a sip, silently cataloging the room. Duo's holdall was empty - a good sign - and folded neatly under the futon bed. The small wardrobe had a few clothes packed into it, and Duo had turned down the bed as if ready to get into it. Heero nodded to himself, glad that it seemed suitable.

Duo moved to sit down on the floor by the bed and Heero crouched down by him. "Need anything else?"

Duo shook his head. "Not that I can think of." He looked at Heero gratefully. "I appreciate you letting me stay here."

"I'm thankful you decided to take me up on the offer." Heero sipped his drink thoughtfully, looking at the bed critically. "If it's not comfortable enough, I'd be happy to swap beds..."

That made Duo snort in amusement. "I doubt Wufei got the same offer."

"He did not."

"But I do?"

Shrugging a shoulder, Heero looked away, his voice fond. "I'm not dating Wufei."

Duo blinked, surprised by the softness in the man for a moment before a thought occurred to him. "Would you rather I slept in the same bed with you?"

"Yes." Heero answered honestly. "But I'm only very keen if that's something you're comfortable with... I recognise we're not at that stage of this relationship..."

Duo stared at him, setting his cup down and then pausing for just a moment before rolling fluidly onto his knees and leaning in to press a kiss against Heero's cheek. Heero froze, cupping a hand protectively over his own mug. He turned his head fractionally and was rewarded with a soft kiss on the lips. Almost losing his balance, Heero set his own mug down beside Duo's and shifted to kneel with him. Duo's lips were soft and pliant as Heero moved in to kiss him.

For the longest time, Heero barely knew what to do with his hands until Duo's reached out for him. They held hands as they tilted their heads, the kisses going from soft and fleeting to hard and demanding. Heero opened his mouth and was delighted as Duo desperately chased his tongue. Pulling one hand free, Heero raised it to cup Duo's neck, his thumb stroking over his ear. With his free hand, Duo pulled at Heero's waist, his hip. Heero felt a moan escape him, felt Duo's lips pull into a smile. It provoked something in Heero, something almost primal. He shifted his hand, pushing his fingers into the back of Duo's braid. He used it as leverage to pull Duo closer, their open-mouthed kiss turning sloppy. He felt Duo pull his other hand free and worm it between them, holding on to Heero's shoulder tightly.

They broke for a breath.

Heero raised a trembling hand to brush Duo's fringe to one side, struggling to hide how affected he was by the kiss. He sank back to sit on his heels, watching as Duo slowly mirrored him. They stared at each, panting softly. Duo looked away first, a blush creeping over his cheeks as he swallowed. "That was..." He smiled and looked back at Heero. He shifted back up onto his knees and raised both hands to gently cup Heero's face. "That was everything..." He dipped a kiss onto Heero's lips, his voice a whisper. "Everything."

He leaned in, slowly, his breath stealing over Heero's lips. His eyes had slipped closed, but Heero left his own open until the moment Duo dipped his head into the kiss.

Heero raised his hands, sliding them over Duo's hips. Letting his fingers roam over the rough material of his jeans to the soft of his shirt to the warmth of his skin... Heero moaned and that seemed to startle Duo.

He pulled back a little, eyes dazed. "Are you okay?"

"Uh huh..." Heero breathed as he opened his eyes a crack. He stroked his thumbs over Duo's hips, dipping onto the skin he could reach under Duo's shirt. "Just... wow."

Duo swallowed, biting a lip uncertainly. He shifted his hands to loop them loosely around Heero's neck. "It's okay?"

"More than okay." Heero leaned his head against Duo's arm. "Can I convince you to keep kissing me?" He closed his eyes, smiling as he felt Duo move in again.

The kiss he got then was a little less enthusiastic at first, as if Duo wasn't certain. Heero loosened his grip on Duo's hips, focused on letting the kiss just be. Eventually, Duo pulled back again and sank down onto his heels. He looked at Heero ruefully. "Sorry, I just..."

Heero stroked his hands over Duo's body before slowly taking them back. "Don't apologise. Not for that... I... I love..." Heero’s jaw worked for a moment. "That. I love that."

Duo smiled at him wonkily. "Smooth." He nodded, scratching the back of his neck. "I also really... love that." He raised his eyes to look at Heero, the tips of his ears pinking. "Thanks... for everything." Duo shuffled back a little and reached to grab his drink. He took a gulp from the cooling tea. "Um... I'm going to... maybe turn in for the night."

"What about dinner?" Heero shifted to wrap his arms around his knees. "I hope that I haven't put you off eating."

Duo laughed slightly. "Oh... yeah, I suppose..." He reached a hand up to scrub his face. "I'm gonna take a few minutes, that okay?"

Heero got to his feet and stooped to pick up his drink. It was still lukewarm. He smiled as he closed Duo's bedroom door and briefly leaned against it. 

* * *

Later in the week, Duo paused by the front door, his hand hovering over the handle. He just wanted to go for a walk around the block. He glanced over his shoulder. Heero was talking to Relena, something he apparently did quite regularly. Duo had leaned into the shot briefly to wave at her and was now at a loose end. While he had stood at the kitchen counter, cradling a cup of coffee, he'd been struck by the bright Sunday light streaming in through the window. He had texted Heero, letting him know he was going out, grabbed the spare set of keys and had dug out his headphones.

Now, a whisper of doubt started in his mind. What if...?

Duo sighed and took half a step away from the door. The prospect of telling Heero he'd chickened out of a walk around Heero's incredibly safe neighbourhood... he felt an irrational anger flare in him and he flung the door open. He strode out into the sunshine and stopped at the edge of the pavement.

It was a very quiet Sunday morning, and the most movement was from the elderly couple across the way who were waiting patiently for their dog to finish investigating the bush. Duo felt himself redden and he rolled his eyes, embarrassed by his response. Yanking his headphones over his ears and then shoving his hands in his coat pockets, he spun on a heel and stalked off down the road. He strode with determination until his heart rate was up and then eased off, the music eventually filtering through to enable him to take a breath and calm down.

Pulling his phone out, Duo checked the time and location before turning again. This time he took a moment to appreciate the road and the trees lining it. He took a deep breath. The morning air was crisp, the sunlight bright. It was all beautiful. He pulled off his headphones for a moment.

Duo closed his eyes and drew another deep breath, holding it for a moment and appreciating the quiet. He slid his headphones back on and resumed walking.

He smiled to himself faintly. Ames would have insisted on either coming with him or that Duo should wait until a more suitable time. Duo knew he'd resisted moving in with Ames for more than simply risking losing his view of the river. Yet he'd continued the relationship... hoping against hope that Ames would one day change, but chipping away at himself in the hopes of making himself fit into the shape of the relationship.

He stood at the edge of the road and looked down the street, checking for cars. He crossed and glanced up. The sky was a pale blue.

Now, there was a strange feeling of freedom. Heero was careful not to push, not to crowd... Heero knew when to back off, even when it was clear he wanted more. Duo felt...

He frowned slightly.

He felt in control, but that wasn't quite what he meant. He felt... there was space in this relationship. He could be... he could make his own choices and not feel guilty about them, worrying about how it could affect the... fledgling romance between them. Duo paused as he turned the corner and Heero's front door came into view.

He stared.

There wouldn't be a faint, pervading sadness in Heero when he came back, no questions that danced around... no subtle checking and verifying Duo's story. No emotional jabs to make him feel bad for going out because he'd felt like it.

Duo clenched his hands inside his pockets.

Heero wasn't Ames.

It wasn't fair to compare them.

Ames was inconsistent and Heero... Heero was as constant as the moon's orbit.

He started towards the house again. Duo drew a deep breath and nodded. He had to break out of his funk. He needed to get his priorities right. Heero wouldn't wait forever.

Shaking out the keys, he hesitated, hand hovering over the lock. He stared at the door.

Heero would.

He'd wait.

He'd wait for a day, a month... a year... he breathed out slowly. Heero would wait, he realised, the thought clear in his head. There wasn't pressure from Heero for him to change, that pressure was coming from his own fear, a ghost of concern that haunted him from Ames. As long as Duo felt that fear... he wouldn't be able to move forward.

He slid the key into the lock and turned it, pushing the door open. He walked in, taking off his boots and coat. He walked through the apartment and found Heero in the kitchen. The other man was sitting at the table, cradling a cup as he flicked slowly through his ebook device. Duo paused at the threshold, taking a moment to just watch Heero.

He felt the tension bleed away.

* * *

“Hey.” Hilde looked so concerned as she leaned into the video chat. “I’m… God, I’m so sorry, I heard what happened.”

Duo smiled tiredly. “I’m okay. Heero’s letting me stay at his while they try and figure out how Ames is doing it.” He picked up the phone to switch the camera to show Heero cooking in the kitchen. Heero was making some kind of stir-fry with deep-fried meat so his attention was fully on the stove. He was wearing an apron and wielding a pair of cooking chopsticks like a pro. Duo stepped around the kitchen island. “Say hi to Hills, Heero.”

Heero glanced up. “Hey.”

“Hey yourself, Heero! Thanks for taking care of my doofus here.”

“Oi!” Duo flipped the camera back and walked out of the kitchen. “I’m not a doofus.”

“You’re not _ A _ doofus, you’re _ MY _ doofus.” Hilde chuckled. “Heero’s lookin’ good there, nice husband material.”

Duo reddened and glanced at the door. He took another step further away from the kitchen. “Aw, c’mon!”

“What? You’re perfect together and I’m just trying out my best man material.” Hilde snorted, she glanced up and waved at someone off camera. “Duo’s on the phone.”

Hilde’s boyfriend peered into view briefly and then ducked out again. “Are you going to be long?”

Hilde made a face, looking between Duo and her boyfriend. “My boy here has had a rough time lately, we haven’t caught up for a while so, I don’t know, maybe?” 

Duo didn’t hear what he said, but was surprised to see a brief look of fury dash across Hilde’s face before it flattened into an appeasing look. “Of course darling.” Hilde waited a moment, clearly waiting for him to leave the room. She took a very deep breath and calmed herself down before looking back at Duo. “He doesn’t like the fact I talk to you; he thinks it’s weird that I’m still friends with my ex.”

“Wait until he hears about Heero and Relena.” Duo chuckled. “Sorry if I’m causing you trouble.”

“Oh babe.” Hilde’s brows drew together for a moment before she shook her head. “There’s more here than me being friendly with an ex, and I don’t think we’re going to get past this.” She shook her head again harder. “Anyway, so tell me more about living with Heero…”

“Uh, that will be a no.”

“Okay, fine. Give me the goss about this Hasigawa chick. Noin told me all about the fight at the pub.” Hilde leaned in. “And Zechs found her profile, she’s got some pictures of Wufei’s cat…” She paused for dramatic effect. “From INSIDE his apartment.” 

Duo’s eyebrows shot up. “I think you’ve got more gossip than me. Where in his apartment?”

“Judging from the very first, very carefully cropped picture, I’m gonna guess his bedroom.” 

Duo looked scandalised. “Where is her profile? I demand to see this picture!” He blinked, “What do you mean ‘very carefully cropped’?” 

“Let’s just say...” Hilde almost glowed with the news. “That cat is clearly lying on some buns and they are not in a bakery.”

Duo sat for a moment, blinking. "Hilde, send me the link right now."

"Oh honey, I can't do that." Hilde shook her head, sadly. "I tell you, you'll tell Heero, Heero will tell Wufei and then we will not get any more cat pictures." She shrugged, her expression not entirely sorry. "And I'm gonna mainline those pictures because hot damn, she's really good at framing... the cat."

"You--"

Heero popped his head into the living room. "Dinner's almost done."

Duo nodded. "Okay. Hills, we're not done here."

"What's that?" Hilde raised her hand to her mouth, making a static noise. "You're kssssshhhtt breaking… kssshhht... okay..." She grinned wickedly. "Byeeeeeeee!"

"Hilde!" 

Cackling, Hilde leaned in and cut the video chat, leaving Duo shaking his head and laughing softly. He padded into the kitchen and sat at the island as Heero served up the food. He smiled. "Hilde found Hasigawa's profile online." 

"Hmm?"

Duo sighed. "I'm gonna have to have the chat with Riko about the other group chat."

Heero frowned for a moment, confused. "The one we're not in?"

"Uh huh." 

Heero shook his head as he took off the apron. "That's Wufei's job." He picked up his drink and held it up in a toast to Duo. "Besides, it's keeping Zechs occupied at the moment."

"So, you're basically saying, Zechs chasing Riko is better than him badgering you."

Heero nodded as if it should have been obvious. Duo laughed as Heero spread his hands in a shrug. "She's had it coming. She should have just left the evidence alone."

* * *

_ Striding through the haze _

_ Just let the sun _

_ Shine on your face _

_ Only the darkness blinds your way _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am beyond grateful that you are here. Thank you for taking the time to read this.


	20. You get the picture

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ames thinks he knows best.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: hahahahahahaha… I’m so old. You know the score. 
> 
> Notes: Relationships are hard work.
> 
> Song: Hasley - Experiment on me

_ Bet you think you get the picture _

_ Bitch, you don't know how good I treat ya _

_ Shake it off, this pride and glory _

_ You dig up so many stories _

* * *

#  Chapter 19: You get the picture

* * *

_ Oh, you're so under the thumb _

_ Four fingers form a knuckle sandwich _

_ Try my blood, it's just a starter _

_ No one tastes like me, yeah _

* * *

Duo spun a pen around his finger aimlessly. Waiting to hear from the local law enforcement was awful but necessary; he’d been living with Heero for a month now, and the police had precious little to say. He glanced at Riko. She’d complained to Royston on his behalf, but it was personal - not a Preventer matter. So he had to wait and focus on the cases in front of him. Royston had been sympathetic, but set him firmly on task to work with Riko on the links she’d found with the Colonies Apart Active Duty investigation. He set the pen down and tried to refocus on the case file in front of him. Riko wasn’t wrong. She had found more links than Wufei had. He frowned as he followed one line of inquiry. Scattered as her approach was, Riko’s comments about the algorithms used seemed to point to something very familiar.

The code and the patterns and the methods… yes, it was all quite familiar. He saw something that made him think of Quatre. He leaned forward and wrote that down on a post-it note. His pen hovered over the sticky note, as he tried to capture what exactly made his brain connect Quatre to this particular snippet of code.

It was so tangential and faded like a wisp when he tried to write it down. He circled Quatre’s name and wrote down a couple of line numbers. Attaching the old-fashioned sticky note to his notepad, he shifted a few things aside to bring up his keyboard and started typing up his findings.

Duo glanced down at his screen as the internal Preventer chat program popped up. There was a new text message from Heero with a location attached. Reading it, Duo frowned, standing. Heero was asking to meet urgently at the cafe across the street. He looked over at Riko. She seemed to be stuck in her work.

"I'm heading out to meet Yuy," Duo called her. "Should be back in 20. Call me if the decompiler finishes early. If Yuy pings my desk again, tell him I'm on my mobile."

"Sure, sure..." Riko's voice was faint; she wasn't really listening.

With a similar distracted tone, Loris piped up. “We’ll tell him he’s getting old and nobody uses the IM anymore.”

Duo smiled and picked up his bag. Getting to the cafe wasn't going to take long. He glanced at his watch. It was a bit earlier than normal... As he walked toward the cafe, he checked his phone again. It just felt a little... off.

Duo paused on the street, looking up at the cafe. He felt a ripple, an old feeling and he looked around, automatically wishing he'd hidden his hair. His eyes briefly caught on a van, tinted windows and parked. He watched it for a long moment as it indicated and pulled out - slower than necessary. It drove past him and took a corner half a block away. Duo almost turned around and walked back to his work, but he shook his head. It wasn't the war. He didn't need to be paranoid.

He rolled his shoulders and took a moment to observe the bright blue sky before heading into the cafe. The waiter that greeted him beamed. "Ah, Mr Maxwell!"

Duo blinked and paused. He knew Wufei liked this place, but Heero seemed indifferent, preferring the on-site cafe. The waiter shouldn't know him on sight.

The waiter smiled and gestured for him to follow. "Your friend showed me your picture, he didn't want to miss you. He's just taking a call, please, this way!"

"Uh..."

"Your friend is just over here. Happy birthday!"

"It's not..." Duo frowned as he followed the waiter. "Not my..."

The waiter pulled out a chair with a flourish and indicated that he should sit. Duo stared at the other person sitting at the table. Ames simply smiled charmingly as he hung up from his phone call and stood. "Thank you so much for showing him in."

"Of course, of course!" The waiter beamed. "I will bring some water and menus."

"Thank you!" Ames called after him, and took a step closer to Duo, wrapping him in a tight hug. "Don't cause a scene..." He spoke in a tender tone, low and just for Duo. "Come on, just sit down."

With Ames’ hand on his lower back, Duo felt his limbs woodenly carry him a step closer. He moved to stand by the chair. He stared at the table. Ames pushed the small of his back and the sensation made Duo recoil into sitting down. Ames smiled patiently as he slipped into the seat opposite.

The waiter arrived, carefully placing a jug of water on the table and handing folded menus to them both. Ames shook his head, "I already know what to order. I'll have a BLT and he'll have a chicken salad…” He flicked a glance at Duo, making a slight grimace. “Yeah, and hold the dressing."

The waiter blinked, glancing at Duo for confirmation. Even though his mind was reeling with horror, Duo found himself automatically nodding. He couldn't cause a scene, he couldn't possibly think of embarrassing them both by refusing to just accept the food. He focused on breathing, trying not to let his emotions run over. Ames' smile was so patient, just a hint of innocent confusion in his eyes - it made Duo feel like he was overreacting.

It made him feel so small.

* * *

Riko stomped around headquarters. There was something there, but she just couldn't see it. She walked towards the active duty offices. It was something to do with a comment Wufei had made, but she couldn’t remember the exact phrase he'd used. She was about to knock on the door when Doctor Po opened the door to his office. Sally smiled broadly at her, her eyes knowing. Wufei had mentioned that Sally might spend a while looking for a vulnerability to pounce on. Riko was determined to not let him down. She was many things, but she was not going to be gossip fodder for Wufei - not when he'd already been through so much.

She smiled tightly. "I was looking for Agent Chang."

"Oh ho?" Po folded her arms and kicked the door a little wider. "She's looking for an Agent Chang?" Sally smirked. “Maybe she’s here to talk about that post Tatiana put up last night…”

Wufei was leaning against his own desk, holding a tablet. He looked up, confused. Riko stepped past Doctor Po, nodding towards Wufei. "Sorry if I'm interrupting a meeting." Riko looked around the room, Commander Noin sat in front of Wufei and... Heero Yuy was sitting at his desk, drinking coffee.

Riko stared at him for a long time. "Did... did you just get back?"

Heero glanced at Wufei who shrugged and then shook his head. “I haven’t left. Why?”

Wufei watched the colour drain from Hasigawa's face and saw her expression harden as Yuy shook his head. She took two steps forward and grabbed the tablet from Wufei’s hands, fingers dancing over the screen.

An agent from cyber crimes appeared on the major display in the room, scooting into view backwards on his wheely chair, not really paying attention to the screen. "Uh, good afternoon Agent Chang... If you’re looking for Hasi--"

"Shut up, Loris." Hasigawa snapped. "Is Maxwell back at his desk?"

Agent Loris sat up straighter, responding to her tone. "No."

She clutched the tablet, her voice tight. "Yuy is here, Loris."

That triggered something in the agent, his eyes first widening and then narrowing. "I'll isolate Maxwell's terminal and call him."

"I've got Yuy. I'll call Une. You get Royston."

"Understood." 

Noin reached out and grabbed Hasigawa’s elbow. “How long?”

“It’s been less than 20 minutes.” 

Noin pulled out her phone and tapped it. She held it up, showing Hasigawa the number for Une. “Call her on this number. Do we know where he is?”

Hasigawa shook her head and pulled out her phone, dialing a number. She tucked the phone in between her ear and her shoulder while she dropped to the floor, the tablet in front of her so she could type with both hands. Her hands flew over the screen, bringing up connections to the cyber security programs. "I know this is your direct line. Ma'am, I need your authorization to take Agent Yuy's online credentials down for investigation. Ma'am with all due respect, Agent Maxwell went to lunch because he thought he was meeting Agent Yuy thanks to a message he received from our servers. Agent Yuy has not left this site." There was a very brief pause, Hasigawa’s hands freezing over the screen. “Thank you, ma’am. Pushing the lockdown now.” 

Around them, various machines in the room flickered as she worked. Noin glanced at Sally, who nodded and pulled out her phone. Noin turned her attention back to the room. “There’s going to be some kind of compromised device in here. Let’s get to work, boys.”

Yuy started emptying his pockets, every communication device on his person was tipped out onto the desk. Wufei started doing the same. Wufei glanced over to Yuy and nodded, they turned their attention to the hardware in their office and started disconnecting and powering down the devices.

"Yes, ma'am, thank you for your authorization.” Riko continued, her fingers flying over the tablet. “I am already instigating protocols. Hold please. Loris?"

Agent Loris returned to the screen. "I'm running the trace. Maxwell isn't answering his phone, it's ringing out and going to voicemail."

Noin leant down to pluck the phone from Hasigawa. "Une, Noin. Po is on the phone to tactical, we will have a rapid response team ready." She knelt by Hasigawa, laying her own phone on the floor and tapping and unlocking it. "Do we have a location?"

Hasigawa didn’t even bother to look up from the tablet on the floor. "Loris, what did the message say?"

"They sent a worm to eat it, but I've retrieved some partial characters. Cafe, nearby… uh... looks like that one with the paintings."

"I know it." Hasigawa nodded, picking up Noin's phone from the floor. She typed in the cafe and handed it back.

Noin looked at it briefly, and tossed it to Sally who caught it ably. Sally used Noin's phone and dialled the cafe while holding her own phone near ready to pass on instructions to the tactical team. Noin nodded to Heero and Wufei. Heero was already arming himself, while Wufei paused briefly by Hasigawa. He knelt beside her and met her eye, taking a moment to tuck a lock of her hair behind her ear. “Thank you.”

She looked at him with wide, dark eyes. “You can do it…” Her voice was barely a whisper. “You can save him, can’t you?”

Wufei tilted his head slightly, and gave her the briefest of nods before standing. He didn’t look behind him as he walked out with Heero and Noin. Sally followed them, her voice hard. “Are you satisfied with my identification? Good. Now, is there a long-haired Preventer agent in your cafe?”

* * *

Duo stared at Ames, trying to understand why his own body wasn’t doing something. He couldn’t even seem to take a deep breath. He tried to remember the grounding technique, but every time he tried to look away from Ames, his eyes would get drawn back. 

It was worse because Ames knew. 

Ames’ lips pulled into a small smirk and he lifted a glass to sip some water. “I’m so glad you’re finally seeing sense. We should talk our problems through. That’s…” He shook his head slowly, “That’s what normal, sane people do.”

Duo drew a breath to speak, but Ames shook his head again, this time laughing softly. 

“No, it’s okay. I know. I know you don’t know. It’s not the war any more, Duo.” Ames spoke and Duo ducked his head, feeling stupid. 

“I … know.” Duo said. “I don’t want…”

Ames scoffed impatiently, and Duo instantly wanted to sink down in his seat. “You’re so…” Ames searched for the right word. “Inconsiderate. Do you have any idea what I have given up for you…?”

Duo looked away from the man in front of him as the waiter returned. Looking up, Duo was a little surprised to see it was a different person. This was a woman, her expression was severe, her badge indicated she was the duty manager. She smiled tightly. "I'm sorry, there's going to be a delay to your order."

Ames frowned, his expression going cold. "I sent my order earlier."

"I'm aware."

"Well, how long...?"

"We're out of some key ingredients." The woman looked at Duo and her smile was false, a flicker of fear in her eyes. "Would you like to order something else?"

"No, this is a special occasion." Ames snapped, slapping the table. "I want the food I've ordered."

"I'm very sorry, sir." She tilted her head. "We can cancel your order if you'd prefer to take your custom elsewhere. Can I get you a drink, tea, coffee, biscuit?"

"Coffee." Duo whispered, seemingly startling Ames and drawing the manager's attention. He cleared his throat and spoke up louder. "I'd like a coffee... t-to go."

Ames narrowed his eyes, smiling coldly. "We're staying here."

"I... don't want to." Duo swallowed, he held on to the manager’s gaze, using the fear she had as his anchor; they were both afraid of this man. He wasn’t overreacting. "Coffee. To go."

She didn't move immediately. "Did you want a biscuit, with that, hon?"

"Do you have any … um… specaloos biscuits?" Duo asked hopefully.

It was minute, but the woman seemed a little relieved. "Yes, I think so." She turned and walked away, Duo watched her. Her gait was stiff, as if she was concentrating too hard. As he watched her, he saw the quick flicker of a laser sight touch her shoulder once. 

Like magic, Duo felt his fear unwind from his heart. He looked at Ames, bemusement sparking in him at the pinched expression on the man's face. Ames didn’t know what was happening, and the power of the situation was shifting.

In his pocket, Ames’ phone began ringing. Duo kept his eyes on Ames as the other man reached into his pocket, a confused look on his face. 

Duo tilted his head slightly. “You’re going to want to answer that. They won’t ring you again.”

Narrowing his eyes, Ames hung up on the call. Duo smiled tightly as Ame visibly quelled his anger to quietly hiss. "You're going to spoil this surprise--"

"Give it a rest, Ames. We both know you're just trying to guilt me." Duo blinked, surprised by the strength he found. His own phone rang with a new caller that overrode his phone’s silent mode. He reached into his pocket and pulled it out, looking at the screen.

This time it was Une.

Taking no small pleasure in flashing the screen at Ames, Duo tilted his head slightly. "I better answer her."

Ames' lips twisted unpleasantly for a flash before smoothing out into concern. "You should put your phone on silent when you're with other people..."

Duo ignored him and thumbed the answer call button, placing the phone on speaker. "Hi Une."

Her tone was flat. "You're not missing dinner."

Duo stared at Ames evenly. “Understood, ma’am.” He stood, hanging up the phone. He paused for a moment, staring at the table. He hovered his fist over the table, knocking on the wood twice and then opening his palm. A little red dot of light danced over his fingers, coming to rest on his little finger. He smiled at Ames. “I hope you’re ready for a truly disproportionate response. Don’t come after me again.”

When Ames stood suddenly, Duo raised a fist to his shoulder. Ames stared at his quick movement and then snarled. “You’ll never find anyone who’ll have you! You’re broken, you’re paranoid… I’m the only one who’ll put up with yo--”

“Ames.” Duo almost laughed. “I drop this fist, Chang Wufei will put a bullet in your shoulder. Heero was holding the rifle, but I think someone made him give it up.” There was a noise behind him as a number of Preventer agents came up the stairs and started to empty the upper floor of patrons. Ames looked around, uncertainty bubbling in his expression. He looked like he might take a step forward, and Duo took a step back, holding his fist higher. 

A stocky woman came up the stairs, her walk slow and deliberate. She paused by Duo and folded her arms. “Your lunch break overran, Maxwell.”

“I’m not here out of my own free will, Commander Royston.” 

She nodded, her expression cooling. “Yes, we’ve traced the device that sent you the falsified message.” She looked towards Ames. “Sir, have you recently received a call you failed to answer? It would have been shortly before General Une called Agent Maxwell.”

Duo turned and walked away, not waiting for Ames to answer. Ignoring him when Ames called him back. Smiling when he finally got downstairs and Zechs was there to meet him, inspecting his nails as if he was waiting to pick him up. Duo grinned even though he could feel the nerves start to make his hand shake. Zechs rolled his eyes. “Don’t thank me.”

“I was wondering if Heero was alright.”

“Ugh, Noin has him pinned. She wouldn’t let me hold him down and sent me to get you instead.” The man tossed his white hair imperiously. “Une’s authorised the rest of the day off for you. I will be taking you directly home.” He started walking out and Duo appreciated - for once - Zech’s ability to utterly ignore emotional outbursts. He raised his shaking hand to his face to wipe his eyes.

* * *

Zechs had never quite gotten close to the five boys as Noin had. She’d developed a knack of talking to them like they were normal. Zechs couldn’t see them as normal children. Never could. He could only ever see the cold-blooded killing machines. So when he pulled off the main road, on the way towards Yuy’s main residence, it was a bit of a shock to him when Maxwell made a strangled sobbing noise. Zechs glanced over. 

Maxwell’s face was screwed up as if he was hoping if he concentrated hard enough, the tears would stop. Zechs sighed. “You will get through this.”

Maxwell didn’t answer, just balled up his fists angrily and scrubbed hard at his eyes. 

Zechs turned his attention back to the road, trying to find something relevant to talk about instead. “You’ve been through worse.”

“It doesn’t feel like it.” Maxwell spat. “I couldn’t walk away. I’ve been tortured, I didn’t break.”

“Who says you’ve broken now?”

“I didn’t just get up and leave.”

“So?” Zechs felt genuinely confused. “The war was a different place and time. This is now, you are supposed to be safe now. That’s what Relena fought for.” He scoffed. “Pity she didn’t account for the abusers, the rapists and the murderers… I’m sure it’s on her to-do list though.”

“I should be able to protect myself.”

“Really though?” 

“... What do you mean?”

“When did you ever see a decent, fully functional relationship between two consenting adults? I’ve read your file, Maxwell. Only Chang bears a decent chance of having a childhood that genuinely seems to have provided him with good representations of relationships.” Zechs sniffed slightly. “I somehow doubt the life you’ve led has ever shown you how to protect yourself from someone who wants to hurt you on an emotional level.” He rolled his eyes. “I am barely able to protect myself from emotional manipulation, and I had a loving childhood up to the point at which I think you were conscripted into the Gundam Program. If this Ames had been holding a knife or a gun, I have absolutely no doubt he'd be in a body bag by now. If he had demonstrated any intention to disrupt the peace we have all worked hard to protect, body bag. If he’d even threatened to physically harm one of your family, no body bag, just a pile of ash …” Zechs made a dismissive gesture. “You just didn’t classify what he did to you as a genuine threat. Now, you know. Now, you can defend yourself.”

There was a long awkward pause before Maxwell snorted. “... really very bad with cheering people up, aren’t you?”

“Frankly, I barely know why you’re upset.” Zechs made another dismissive gesture as he turned at the lights. “We all know that there’s only so far you can push a Gundam before the Gundam presses the self-destruct button.” He glanced at Maxwell, nodding. “I always thought you’d be the one who’d start shooting indiscriminately into a crowd.”

“You’re thinking about Barton.” Maxwell snorted, his tone darkly humourous. “I’m more of the ‘kill everyone in the room and then myself’ type actually.”

“There you are, Maxwell.” Zechs replied with some relief. “I didn’t think he could hold you under for long.”

* * *

Noin smiled tightly. Yuy was almost vibrating next to her. It was very late as they drove through the streets. Chang was staying behind with the cyber crimes division, trying to finalise the trace on the falsified message. It was becoming increasingly clear that Duo’s former lover was not capable of the technological skills needed to breach Preventers’ security and spoof Yuy’s online credentials. 

It was going to be a long night. Une had ordered Noin to make sure Yuy got some sleep and to check in on Zechs and Maxwell. Noin drove towards Yuy’s place, neither of them saying much. It was only when she pulled into a space near his place that Yuy finally said something. 

“What was that?” Noin switched the car off and glanced at him. 

“I said, thank you.” Yuy repeated, his voice low. He didn’t make a move to leave the car. “For everything today.”

She snorted softly, flexing her hands on the wheel. “You’ve got a stronger will than I have. I’m not certain if the bastard threatening the life of my lover was in my sights for even a second… I’m not sure I could just hand over the gun.” 

Yuy’s breath was ragged as he drew it in. 

Noin knew better than to stare at him. “You made the right choice.”

“Doesn’t feel like it.” Yuy swallowed, the potent rage from earlier forcing the words out. “If he’s just some kind of… fall guy for whomever is using him … Duo won’t be safe.”

Noin shook her head. “That’s true, but do you know what else is true?” She looked over at him, waiting until she had his attention. “You five are spectacular. You will find a way to protect each other.”

She could see in his hard, blue eyes he didn’t quite believe her. They got out of the car and she noticed he was walking slowly. She stepped in close to him to throw an arm around his shoulders. “Yuy. Speak up.”

“Communicate your needs, don’t just think of them.” He muttered, mostly to himself. He took a deep breath and nodded. “What if he blames me?”

“For what? Somehow allowing his ex to spoof your Preventer credentials?” Noin pulled away and sat on the steps leading up to his home. She leaned forward to rest her elbows on her knees. “Hmm.”

Heero nodded. “I know it isn’t rational.”

“Do you blame him for falling for it?” Noin narrowed her eyes looking up at him. “Do you blame Riko for not realising that something was wrong earlier?” 

“I should have--”

“Ignored your commanding officers when they arrived to discuss the latest rotations, therefore delaying your lunch?” She gestured to the street. “Maybe you’d like to blame Une for not insisting it become a Preventer matter sooner, just bend the truth a little, misuse our powers for a good reason?”

His jaw worked for a moment, and Noin stood. She walked up to him and touched his shoulder. “There’s one person to blame, that bastard and whomever enabled him to bypass Preventer security.” She smirked sardonically. “Mind you, he did kick the ball into our garden… Maybe we should thank the idiot for finally making it something we can legally crush him for.”

That got the tiny jerk of the corner of his lips she was looking for. She clapped his shoulder. “There you go. Now, I’m sure Zechs is probably going to start knocking things over soon. Let’s get inside.”

* * *

_ Oh, grab this loaded gun _

_ So hopeless but I'm still romantic _

_ Bloodstained, I'm gonna blow a kiss _

_ And I bet it tastes like me, yeah _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for joining me. I hope this chapter was acceptable. It's gonna get a bit more difficult from here on out. However, we have also caught up to my beta reader, so updates will be a little sparse.


	21. Burn your kingdom down

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Duo learns some uncomfortable truths.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: hahahahahahaha… I’m so old. You know the score. 
> 
> Notes: Relationships are hard work.
> 
> Song: Florence and the Machine - Seven Devils

_ Holy water cannot help you now _

_ Hours and armies couldn't keep me out _

_ I don't want your money _

_ I don't want your crowd _

_ See I have to burn _

_ Your kingdom down _

* * *

#  Chapter 20: Burn your kingdom down

* * *

_ Holy water cannot help you now _

_ See I've had to burn your kingdom down _

_ And no rivers and no lakes can put the fire out _

_ I'm gonna raise the stakes, I'm gonna smoke you out _

* * *

When Heero entered the kitchen, he paused by the door and stared at Zechs. The man was gazing contemplatively at a glass just on the edge of the countertop, and Heero would have sworn the idea of knocking it off had just begun to form as Noin walked past Heero. 

“Where’s Maxwell?” Noin asked, concerned that Duo didn’t appear to be anywhere downstairs. 

Zechs nodded and got up, walking past them both silently to pad into the living room. The television was still on. Picking up the remote, Zechs switched to a channel that was showing the news. 

“What--?” Noin began to ask until Zechs held up a hand and then gracefully gestured at the TV. Heero turned his attention to the screen as the newscaster continued reporting the news. It was a piece about general business on L2. Heero almost turned to Zechs again but then he caught his eye on the ticker at the bottom of the screen, and the breaking news that the CEO of Winner Enterprises Inc was retiring from the role, effective immediately. 

Heero turned without a word to either Zechs or Noin and bolted up the stairs, taking them two at a time. He burst into Duo’s room without knocking, skidding to a halt. Duo sat on the floor, tears flooding down his face as he angrily shouted down the phone. “He can’t do this for me, I don’t want him too! I’m not worth-- Oh don’t give me that!” He looked up, pain deep in his eyes. “Heero’s home. No, I’m not going - well, then get him off the fucking stage and-- Trowa! He can’t just give up his life’s work for me!” Duo shook his head violently. “I’M NOT WORTH IT! DAMNIT, TELL HIM TO TAKE IT BACK!”

Heero sank down by Duo’s knees and pulled the phone away. Duo collapsed, turning his face into the side of the bed. Fury radiated from him. Heero glanced down at the phone and then slowly held it to his ear. “What the hell does Quatre think he’s doing?”

Trowa gave a very long, weary sigh. “It’s… it wasn’t related to …” He sighed again. “Okay, Quatre planned to retire. He’s joining the Preventers next month. This… Duo’s wrong. It’s not because of what happened today. Quatre’s announced it now because he’s going to come to earth for Duo, yes… that’s the only relation. Quatre’s just ignored his media briefing, Marianna is levitating.” 

Heero sighed. “Alright.”

“Duo is right, Quatre shouldn’t have done it this way…” There was a trace of frustration in Trowa’s normally unflappable voice. “He just… He was just so focused on getting to earth.”

Gritting his teeth for a long moment, Heero stared at Duo intensely. “He never listens to you.”

“That we agree on.” There was a noise in the background, a door slamming open and a multitude of voices shouting. “It would seem the Winners are out of their press conference.” Trowa fell silent and Heero could hear the voices clearly as Trowa moved, closing the door behind him. The voices were muted now and Trowa’s voice was tight. “I don’t have much longer. Quatre wants to fly out tonight. Thankfully, Rashid has managed to somewhat stall him. Promise me, Duo will be safe.”

“He will be.”

“Good. That will enable me to slow Quatre. Heero?”

“Yes.”

“I understand the son of a bitch is still breathing. Why?”

Heero glanced at Duo and stood, he walked away from Duo. “Because he couldn’t do it alone.”

There was a long silence from Trowa’s end. “This is his third incursion.”

Heero swallowed, the bitter rage bubbling up in him. He understood entirely what Trowa meant. “This is the first time he’s had outside help.”

“It will be the last.”

Staring unseeingly, Heero nodded. “Yes. It will be.” He jerked as Duo grabbed his arm roughly. Duo pulled the phone away, snarling. 

“No! No killing! No quitting! No! Do you hear me?!” Switching it to speaker phone, Duo shouted into the phone, his furious eyes locked on Heero. “He doesn’t get to take you away, he doesn’t get to tear down everything we’ve made, do you fucking hear me?” He drew a ragged breath and made an effort to breath out calmly. Closing his eyes for another breath, he nodded and spoke more quietly. “I’m not going to be responsible for more death. I’m not going to be the one who destroys us all. Please! Do you hear me?”

“Yes.” Quatre’s voice was low and tight. “We hear you. Now you hear me.”

Heero blinked as the fight immediately left Duo. 

“He took you while we weren’t looking. He stripped your heart and rewired your brain. When we got you back, he’s made no less than three attempts to get you back. I want to kill him, Trowa wants to kill him, Heero wants to kill him and Wufei wants to kill him. We all want to kill him.” Quatre paused. “But we won’t. He will face due process. He will be restrained. You will be safe again. I am not giving up my position because of him. I’m giving it up because I have to face the ugly reality that my family are suffering because my attention is elsewhere. No job is as important as you, or Trowa. Yes, the timing could have been better. Yes, I should have waited, but…” 

Duo shook his head as Quatre’s voice quavered for a moment. 

“My blood ran cold, and I knew that I was being presented with a choice. I chose you. I am choosing Trowa. I’m choosing my family.”

“I’m not--”

“If you utter those unforgivable words again, the first thing I will do when I see you tomorrow--

“We can’t make it tomorrow.” Trowa groaned in the background.

“-- I will hug you, but then I will slap you.” Quatre finished. “We will be there tomorrow.”

Duo swallowed, moved. “I don’t… I’m not… You shouldn’t--”

“Heero.” Quatre uttered coolly. “Are you still there?”

“Yes.”

“Good. Slap him for every time he implies he’s not worth a sacrifice.” Quatre ordered primly. “And then kiss him to make up for the slap.”

“I’m not slapping him,” Heero replied dourly. “I will kiss him... if he lets me.”

“Fine. Keep a tally and I will slap him that many times upon my arrival tomorrow.”

“We’re not arriving tomorrow.” Trowa sounded slightly amused. “We will be there by the end of the week.”

“Tomorrow.”

Heero felt his lips quirk at the sound of Quatre’s petulant insistence. He glanced at Duo who shook his head, bemused and frustrated at the same time. Heero sighed and held the phone closer. “We’re going now.”

Trowa was fond. “We will see you later this--” 

“Tomorrow.” Quatre was resolute. 

Duo shook his head and leaned in. “Later this week, Quatre. Don’t kill poor Rashid today.”

“... fine.”

Duo smiled. “Thank you.” He tapped the screen. “Bye.”

Heero handed Duo his phone back and waited. 

Staring at the device contemplatively, Duo sank down onto his bed and sighed deeply as he slowly put the phone on the bedside table. He seemed weary, his shoulders drooping. Heero took a few steps forward, moving to crouch in front of Duo. He waited. 

Duo took a long time to pack away his emotions. It was a tense moment before Duo raised his head again and met Heero’s steady gaze. For a brief moment, fury flared in Duo’s eyes. “Don’t you dare take responsibility for what happened today.”

Heero tilted his head. “I had considered it.”

“But?”

“But I was reminded that I could only take the blame if I was prepared to blame you as well.” 

Duo gave a short snort. “Smart.”

“Yes.” Heero took a moment to stare at Duo. “I was prepared to kill him today.”

“I know.”

“Wufei said you stopped him twice.”

Duo swallowed. “No matter what he did to me, I wasn’t going to let him take you away.”

Heero shifted to kneel, resting his hands on his knees. “I’m… I’m yours.” He met Duo’s eyes intently. “I’m here for you.”

Reaching out with his hands, Duo shifted off the bed and came to rest, kneeling with Heero. He shuffled forward until they were nose to nose. Duo leaned in and softly kissed Heero, gently but firmly pursuing. Heero let his eyes close, his hands beginning to bunch on his knees. It was a soft touch from Duo’s fingers, exploring over his knuckles that almost broke him. He clenched his hands, determined not to give into base desire. 

He felt Duo smile in the kiss, and he opened his mouth, tracing the smile with his tongue until Duo parted his own lips. 

Time slipped away from them until they both heard a step creak on Heero’s staircase. They parted reluctantly. 

“Yuy?” Zechs called out. “The shouting appears to have stopped.”

Heero shook his head and got up from the floor, holding a hand out to Duo. “We’re fine.” He called back. “Thank you.”

“Ugh. Are you both decent?”

Duo laughed as Heero rolled his eyes. As Heero walked to the door, Duo reached out to touch his hand. Heero paused and looked back to him. Duo smiled. “Next time, let’s make sure we’re not interrupted.”

Heero looked delighted and opened his mouth to reply, when Zechs’ voice called up the stairs mockingly. “Yuy, take your tongue out of his face!”

* * *

“Agent Maxwell, what a surprise.” 

Duo blinked as Agent Berkins approached the table. Heero only slightly frowned before looking up at the older agent. “Berkins, we’re on lunch.”

“A date? That’s so sweet.” Berkins smiled patiently, but did not wilt when Heero started glaring. “I was wondering if you could make some time today to come with me, Agent Maxwell.” 

Duo began to smile knowingly. “I already agreed to join the Cyber Crimes bowling team.”

“Yes, Loris was almost crowing it from the top of the tower.” Berkins tilted his head, his smile remaining still. “But alas, no. It’s a work matter that only you can help me with.”

Duo blinked, glancing at Heero uncertainly. “Uh…”

“Would you mind joining me now? It shouldn’t be long. I can’t really discuss it here.”

Heero began to frown more seriously, but Duo nodded and got up. He reached out to touch Heero’s hand. “I’ll see you later.” 

Nodding to Duo once, Heero turned his attention to the older agent. “Berkins?”

“I know, Agent Yuy. One day.”

Heero pursed his lips and glanced at Duo. “Meet you here at 5pm?”

“Sure.” Duo smiled faintly. He turned and followed Berkins as the other man led the way. Once they were in a lift heading down, Berkins started speaking, his tone nonchalantly. 

“There’s probably at least two things in this lift that you could use to kill me, right?”

Duo glanced around before matter-of-factly replying. “Six.” He paused. “People don’t usually like to make that joke around us.”

“No, they do not.” Berkins replied. “But most don’t know you like I do.”

Duo nodded. “Best interrogator in the active division; you’ve worked with Heero and Wufei for a long time.”

“I worked with Doktor S, during the war.” Berkins stared at the lift doors. “It was a tough time. I believed in what we were doing, but... even so my family on earth couldn’t understand.”

The lift slowed and the doors parted. Duo stood for a moment a little shocked. “It’s been a long time since I met someone who--”

“Helped to select you, train you… yes.” Berkins gestured him forward. “I will try to answer the big question, but let’s get to our destination first.”

“What’s the big question?”

“Oh, it will come to you shortly.” Berkins chuckled kindly, walking at a leisurely pace. They passed a number of people as they took a turn into the interrogation wing. Berkins led him to an observation room, a guard standing outside the interrogation room’s door. Duo paused outside and stared at Berkins. The older man’s face was kind, and clearly he was waiting for the two words that just bubbled out of Duo.

“Why me?”

“Ah, the big question.” Berkins nodded and stepped into the observation room. He pressed a few buttons before leaning against the desk. He folded his arms and dipped his head as if to think. Duo stepped in; the two-way window was artificially darkened so that neither side could see the other. Berkins nodded at last. “If I remember from your clinical notes, you were chosen because you could grasp concepts quickly, thought outside the box… but especially, your particular childhood trauma had effectively reduced the need for coercion. You didn’t need to have your moral compass compromised; you already believed that death was a suitable punishment for people who committed wrongs and that you yourself were ready to die for any cause. You no longer valued your own life as something precious. Not suicidal, per se, but careless of a need to preserve your own life.”

Duo stared at the man for a long time before quietly stating. “You didn’t need to break me.”

“We didn’t need to break you,” Berkins replied softly. “You were already broken. You just needed that one person in your life to set you going forward.” He snorted softly. “You’re aware that Trowa Barton isn’t really Trowa Barton? He wasn’t Trowa Barton six hours before Operation Meteor’s launch.” 

Duo shifted uncomfortably. “It’s not widely known.”

Berkins tilted his head. “You and your four friends were supposed to meet the charismatic, dashing Trowa Barton, the eldest of your group and therefore your natural leader.” He smiled faintly. “The Long girl, Meilan… her death altered the balance slightly, but we were so confident you’d all fall in line under him.” Berkins looked away. “I had my doubts. I had family on earth.” His jaw briefly tightened as he clearly remembered something unpleasant. “Trowa Barton was a narcissist. We’d known this, counted on it to keep you all in line. Four broken pilots; he’d gather you all up and drive you forward to achieve our great plan…” 

Berkins shook his head. 

“But as the hours ticked down, the launch got closer, it was obvious he wasn’t just a narcissist. He was a dangerous sociopath. I couldn’t…” Berkins shook his head more firmly now, dragging himself out of the past and looked at Duo. “What I’m saying is that you were chosen because of your potential to be manipulated, while retaining your effectiveness as a weapon.”

Duo took a couple of steps away, thinking about the past carefully before turning to face Berkins. “I tried to destroy Deathscythe. Before the mission… I mean.”

Berkins nodded. “And Zero One tried to blow up before he’d even landed a hit, Zero Five ignored the orders… Zero Four was told something different by his Instructor.” He chuckled lightly. “Somehow, despite all our careful planning, you found a way to elude us. You? You were ready to die... for the right cause.” 

Duo folded his arms, letting his head fall forward. “It’s a lot.”

“That it is.”

“I guess… Heero doesn’t know, does he?”

“No. The day is coming, I’m sure.” Berkins chuckled. “To answer the follow up questions, no, I don’t believe either Agent Chang nor Mr Winner know. Mr Barton will recognise me, when we meet. I’ve never needed to talk about the past. Except for now.” 

Duo took a long deep breath, holding it for a moment before letting it go. “Alright.” He raised his head. “I somehow doubt this is what you brought me here for.”

A knowing smile tugged at Berkins’ lips as his hand slid across the desk to rest on a switch. “That’s quite right.” He flicked the switch and the two way mirror cleared to show the other side. 

Duo felt his back stiffen. 

Ames was sat, handcuffed to the desk. Berkins’ partner, Agent Doris, sat opposite Ames. Berkins watched Duo’s face carefully. Duo could see that, but he couldn’t take his eyes off Ames. Ames looked so small and frail; his wrists were raw from the handcuffs. There was fear in his downcast eyes, pleading in his face as he spoke to Doris. They couldn’t hear what was being said, but Duo could read lips. He could see Ames repeat over and over that he didn’t know, couldn’t know, it had been a joke, it was Duo’s fault… 

It just clicked. 

Somewhere in Duo’s memory, the sound of screws and bullets hitting the deck came back to him. An old man chuckling, terribly pleased with himself. Duo breathed in and breathed out. He blinked and glanced at Berkins. “What do you need me to do?”

That seemed to be what Berkins had been waiting for. A pleased look surfaced in his eyes and he shook his head. “Oh, nothing. I just wanted to see your reaction. It tells me a lot about this… Amadeus chap.” Berkins narrowed his eyes, a cunning look in his face. “He’s lost his hold on you. Good… it will infuriate him. That’s useful.” Berkins stood up, taking a half step closer. “You could never have changed him, and there was no aspect of you that you could have altered that would have made him happy. Narcissists don’t change. You only ever had three choices: stay and kill yourself, find your way out as you did…”

He glanced towards the window thoughtfully. “Or find yourself a gun and give him one last chance to change his mind…” 

Berkins leaned forward to speak into the microphone. “I’m back, Doris.”

In the interrogation room, Doris only turned his head slightly and then got up to leave the room. Ames began begging him to come back, to at least loosen the handcuffs. Duo shook his head and looked at Berkins speculatively. “Sounds like you’ve got some experience.”

Berkins only smiled his damningly knowing smile. “Ames isn’t a dangerous sociopath, that much we can both be thankful for.” 

Doris opened the door to the observation room and nodded to Berkins as he entered. “It’s terribly creepy you seem to have his reactions down pat.” He glanced at Duo, a little concerned. “Oh! You shouldn’t--”

“I needed to see if Ames had a hold on him.” Berkins cut in smoothly, and turned his attention to Duo with a more serious expression. “You need to be prepared. This man will do his best to shift the blame now. It wasn’t him, it was you.”

Duo’s attention snapped onto Ames. “How would--?”

“There’s no logic to be had; he will do his best.” Berkins shrugged. “In his mind ... He can’t be held responsible for your actions.”

“Why would I kidnap myself?” Duo felt a weird kind of fury swell in him. It only seemed to reassure Berkins and Doris nodded as he picked up a tablet. He jabbed at it for a moment before handing it to Duo. Duo saw his name appear, alongside a number of other notations. It was a report filed by Heero. Duo glanced at Doris who smiled warmly. 

“Of course we believe you, but Ames is manipulative. Unfortunately for him, Agent Yuy did his due diligence and has been making sure to check in. We know you cannot possibly be held responsible for attempting to kidnap yourself or for the break-in to the Preventer internal messaging service.” 

A slow smile bloomed on Duo’s lips and he glanced up when Berkins gently rested a hand on his shoulder. 

Berkins nodded. “Thank you for your service and your help today, Agent Maxwell.” He gestured at the door. “I’ve got everything I need.”

Duo paused as he walked out. He glanced over his shoulder at Berkins. “Thank you.”

Berkins tipped his head. “We both know the lengths we’d go to protect our family.” The older agent folded his arms and stared at Ames thoughtfully. 

* * *

_ And now all your love will be exorcised _

_ And we will find you saying it's to be better now _

_ And it's an even sum _

_ It's a melody _

_ It's a battle cry _

_ It's a symphony _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you once again for joining me. I sincerely hope you are well. I am exhausted but looking forward to my up coming holiday from my work. I hope that you are able to find your own rest and respite from this shitshow of a year!


	22. Don’t hide no emotions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Explicit Content warning - Lemon ahead!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: hahahahahahaha… I’m so old. You know the score. 
> 
> Notes: Relationships are hard work.
> 
> Song: Lizzo - Exactly how I feel

_ Don't hide no emotions (Emotions) _

_ Wear 'em on my sleeve (On my sleeve) _

_ All my feelings Gucci _

_ (It's Gucci) _

_ Can't hold back my tears _

* * *

#  Chapter 21: Don’t hide no emotions

* * *

_ That would be a crime _

_ 'Cause I look pretty cryin' _

_ Oh, they ain't tell you? _

* * *

Wufei glanced up as the door to his office opened. As Maxwell peered in, Wufei smiled and shook his head and returned his attention to his screen. “Yuy’s in a briefing. He’ll be back in 20 minutes.” 

Maxwell huffed, blowing a lock of his fringe up in the air. “Mind if I wait here?”

Waving a hand blithely, Wufei made an affirmative noise and scrolled through the evidence file Hasigawa had sent over. Her notations were not entirely impossible to follow, but it did mean he had to keep track of a lot of different thought processes. She was a messy thinker. He flicked over to her notes. He could only hope her final documentation was clearer than this initial… unfiltered flow of thoughts. 

Sighing, Wufei sat back and straightened the crick in his neck. Much of what she'd sent was incomplete. He made a few comments before finally giving up entirely. Ten minutes had passed and Duo was still sitting, typing away at his phone quietly. Wufei smiled slightly as he got up and stretched. He walked over to Heero’s noticeboard and swiped through a couple of files. He smirked slightly and mailed one to Duo’s device. 

“Is this your suspect?”

Wufei folded his arms and leaned against the wall, his smirk growing. “Oh, no…”

“Is it a victim?”

Wufei rolled his eyes. “It’s you.”

“... wow.” Duo tilted his phone. “He really can’t draw, can he?”

Wufei failed to stop the snort from erupting from him. He pushed away from the wall and returned to his desk. "When this situation is resolved, I hope I can count on you to help me get Yuy some glasses." He tapped his own. "The man just won't accept that there's something wrong with his vision."

"Heero's vision is insane. He doesn’t need glasses, he’s just … not focused on things that don’t matter to him." Maxwell muttered distractedly, his attention still on the drawing. "Maybe his doctors fucked about with his vision as well."

Wufei tilted his head. "You need glasses because your doctor altered your vision?"

That made Maxwell look up. "Yours didn't?"

"Well. No, I need glasses because my eyesight has naturally degraded." Wufei rolled a shoulder, curious. "Your doctor made changes?"

"Uh..." Duo sat back slightly. "Yes, my professor chemically improved my eyesight. I can see really well up close, so fantastic for cockpits, but my long distance is shit."

"Hmm." Wufei nodded slowly. "Master O made some suggestion that chemical changes had been made to the other pilots once I landed on Earth but..." He frowned, a sour memory coming to him. "I don't remember much of that time."

He appreciated that Maxwell only nodded and did not probe further. Wufei linked his hands and rested his chin on his knuckles, allowing his mind to wander. Maxwell settled back into his seat and went back to his phone, which Wufei appreciated. Maxwell was the only one of the pilots with whom he could have a completely comfortable silence; the others could respect his contemplation, but Maxwell never needed to be warned about it. 

"I'm sorry."

Maxwell blinked out of his own thoughts and looked at Wufei quizzically. "Pardon?"

"I'm sorry. I didn't think you needed help."

"You don't need to apologise." Maxwell thought about what he said and then lifted one shoulder in a shrug. "If it matters, I didn't think so either."

"How did you realise?"

"When Ames told me I was cheating on him with Heero because I'd gotten his number." Duo lifted his phone. "It was like two switches were thrown... I knew Heero would never accept a relationship with me if I was with someone else... and then I knew if I could be with Heero, I'd never feel like that… in that moment." Maxwell frowned. "When Ames came to my workplace to confront me, he definitely thought he could browbeat me into forgetting about Heero. I didn't want to." Maxwell nodded to himself. "And then it became obvious that the endgame was to force me to delete Heero's number, I..." Maxwell looked at Wufei earnestly. "I don't know, man, it cracked something."

Wufei nodded with understanding. "I can appreciate that."

"Don't hold on to it, the... worry about not helping me." Maxwell sat up a little straighter. "I don't want you to feel bad. If I thought I was in danger, I would have definitely asked for help."

"Yes." Wufei smiled sardonically. "I think that's exactly what I thought." He took a breath and let it out slowly. "Very well." 

Returning the small smile, Maxwell nodded, "Thank you." 

Wufei turned his attention back to his computer and started typing up his impressions in an email to Hasigawa. He thought a little more about her notes, and took a little more care to explain that what she'd written seemed to be gibberish without her more professional notations. He shook his head and added that he knew she was keen, but that she should keep this until she was able to explain herself properly. His fingers hovered over the email, and he added that he'd be happy to review this over dinner. He hesitated again and almost deleted the last line when Yuy arrived. Wufei watched as Yuy’s entire expression lifted at the sight of Maxwell. It wasn’t a bright smile, more just a quiet joy that filled his eyes and pulled up a corner of his lips. Hasigawa would probably snort and mock him for the invitation, but there was no denying the tiny flicker of delight that would be in her when he picked her up. Rolling his eyes at his own hesitancy, Wufei pressed send without any further edits. 

* * *

Heero closed his curtains and began to undress for bed. He'd just gotten to unbuckling his belt when Duo knocked on the door and poked his head in. "Heero, can I… oh!" Duo bit a lip, trying not to smirk. "Sorry."

Stilling his hands on the belt buckle, Heero shrugged his shoulder. "What's up?"

"I was just... um..." Duo swallowed and stepped in, raising a hand to scratch his neck. Heero was struck by the look of him. In boxers and a tee, Duo was just a bigger version of his teenage self. Duo blinked and shook his head, catching his courage. "I was wondering if you'd mind if I... uh, slept in here with you tonight?" 

Concern squashing any amusement, Heero frowned. "Is there something wrong?"

"Nah, bud," Duo replied earnestly. "Just, today's been weird... and uh... there's a lot floating up there, and I kinda just figured..." He trailed off and walked towards the bedside table. "Why are you keeping the bent hair clip here?"

Heero resumed undressing. "Told you, it was there for me."

"It's in a keepsakes... bowl?" Duo's tone was teasing. "You're supposed to use those for rings."

"Uh huh." Heero pulled off his trousers, folding them neatly over a chair. He folded his arms. "You kinda figured?"

Folding up his glasses and placing them by the bowl, Duo narrowed his eyes slightly. "Uh huh. Smooth. Fine." He shrugged. "Berkins took me to see Ames."

"I'm going to kill him."

"No, it's okay."

"I've promised him a long time." Heero nodded, his tone not entirely joking. "The day has finally come."

"Heero." Duo clambered on to the bed and under the covers. "Listen, it's okay. Don't kill Berkins. He... he helped me a lot today."

"Helped?" Heero knew he sounded doubtful. He followed somewhat hesitantly, sitting up against the headboard. "Explain."

Duo slid down in the bed until he could curl on his side. He reached out to hold Heero's hand. "Ames was just... so small now. So desperate. Unhinged almost. He wants to claim I kidnapped myself; that it's my own fault he did the things he did. Berkins wanted to check if Ames could convince me to do it... take the blame..." 

Heero stared at the end of the bed, feeling his brows draw together. He couldn't even begin to fathom the kind of logic Ames was trying to follow. 

"He can't. There's nothing left... it was... nothing. I don't love him, don't feel like I owe him anything... He just means nothing to me now," Duo continued quietly. "Berkins told me that there was nothing I could have done differently, so there's not even the... guilt that I didn't try hard enough in the relationship... to make it work. Ames was never going to be happy, I would have had to kill myself for him..."

Heero couldn't hide the spike of fear that struck in him, and he forced himself not to crush Duo's hand. He shifted uncomfortably in the bed. "I didn't realise you... you felt guilty."

"I thought that maybe Ames wouldn't be that way if I... I'd only tried harder, but Berkins helped me to realise that there was never going to be a chance for me." Duo tugged at Heero's hand, looking up. "Thank you."

"I haven't done--"

"You don't ask me to change. You support me. You acknowledge my feelings and your own." Duo shook his head. "You don't think you're doing anything, but you're doing amazingly." He rolled, pushing himself up onto his elbows. Heero echoed his movement, allowing himself to settle low enough to bring their faces in line. Duo smiled gently and Heero found himself lost in the way the bedside light caught the violet in Duo's eyes. 

Duo seemed quietly joyful as he whispered. "I'm yours."

Heero couldn't stop his smile from widening as he whispered back. "I know."

Their kisses were gentle and worshipful at first. Heero lifted a hand, touching the back of Duo's head at first to deepen the kiss, and then sliding over the braid he'd loved so much. His hand slipped off Duo's hair and then down his back, over the tee and then rested on Duo's hip for a moment. Duo shifted then, raising one leg to slip between Heero's thighs. Taking that moment, Heero slipped his hand under the tee and ran it along Duo's side. Warm skin, taunt muscles. When Duo moved again, Heero went to run his hand over Duo's abs but was distracted when Duo opened his mouth - he could taste the lingering mint of the toothpaste. Duo's fingers danced over his jaw, his chest, his ear. Heero parted his legs as Duo changed position, this time moving on top. Those maddening fingers slipped and slid everywhere. 

Distracted by the clever little licks of Duo's tongue, Heero's eyes shot open when he felt Duo touch his cock. Duo chuckled quietly. "Is that okay?"

"Yes." Heero breathed. "Can I?"

Duo sat back, rocking onto his knees. Heero lay before him, half hard already and briefs low on his hips; legs spread. Duo bit his lip and nodded as he moved to pull his tee off. It had barely hit the floor before Duo dived back in to kiss Heero. There was a hint of desperation, as if they couldn't be close enough. Heero pulled and squeezed Duo's body, wanting more, wanting to feel him closer... something Duo clearly understood when he broke their embrace with a hiss and wriggled down to lick and nip at Heero's chest. A particularly wet lick of his nipple sent a bolt down Heero's back and he arched, pressing his cock against Duo's belly. Duo looked up at him briefly before sliding down further. 

Cool air did not have time to linger before Heero felt Duo's mouth on his cock. Heero stifled a groan, closing his eyes against the feeling, his fingers diving into Duo's hair. He wanted to hold Duo there. Just there. He couldn't help but roll his hips a little when Duo started moving. It was the sensation of Duo's nose brushing his pubic hair, the realisation that Duo was taking him already so deeply with seemingly little effort. It brought him almost past the point of control. 

"Duo. Stop. Hang on..." Heero tried to say, but knew he sounded unconvincing even as his hips rolled again and his fingers tightened on Duo's scalp. Duo slowly, teasingly pulled upward. So slowly, that Heero opened his eyes and watched in something akin to awe as Duo sucked on his way up, leaving the tip of his cock resting on his tongue for a long moment before letting go. 

Heero panted and - when Duo smiled knowingly - blinked, and remembered what he was going to say. "We should... uh... talk about this..."

A look of muted horror flashed in Duo's eyes. 

"I mean... about us having sex, because I want to but..." Heero barrelled on before the horror grew. "I'm not very experienced and I don't want to hurt you." He gestured his very hard cock ruefully. "And I want to talk to you about it before the decision is made by... that."

Relief, delight, amusement all passed over Duo's face as he straightened up a little. Heero squirmed a little when he noticed Duo's boxers were tenting, the outline clear. "I suppose we should probably..." Duo stroked the inside of Heero's leg, his tone adoring. "Yeah. I mean... We don't even have supplies."

"Lube and condoms in the bedside drawer," Heero said quickly. "I'm inexperienced with sex between men, not a virgin. Besides, I've done my research."

Duo's hand stroked a little lower. "I know you have..." 

"So... what do you prefer?"

"Huh?"

Heero shifted a little, pushing himself up into a seated position. "Would you like to..." Heero frowned. "I couldn't find the right... term for this... would you like to penetrate me?"

"Uh." Duo blinked as if Heero had short-circuited his brain. For a long moment, Duo stared at him before his face screwed up and he began to laugh. Nonplussed, Heero glared at him and that only seemed to amuse Duo more. Heero rolled his eyes as Duo threw his arms around Heero's neck, snorting as he hugged the man. "It's not funny, it's remarkably hard to find a phrase that doesn't make it sound... sexist."

"So,” Duo sobered enough to squeak out, “you went clinical on me?" Dissolving into giggles again, Duo scooted back to shuck off his underwear and open the draw with the aforementioned supplies. Heero watched him, eyes lingering on the way Duo's butt flexed, and wrapped a hand around his arousal, stroking lazily. 

"Want to do me, Yuy?" Duo's voice was teasing, and Heero moved his eyes up to look at Duo's face. The other man grinned, holding up the lube and giving it a saucy wave. Heero rolled his eyes. 

"I don't mind. I think I would enjoy it either way."

"Hmm..." Duo sat back on his feet, kneeling on the bed. "So, you're not thinking about just taking that delicious cock and slaaaathering it with lube and then spreading my ass ..." Heero's eyes fluttered shut and he gave his cock a pump. He felt the bed dip closer to him as Duo leaned in, his lips nearing his ear. "My hole just there... I'm pretty tight."

"Hn." Heero grunted. "Yeah." 

A fingernail scraped over his nipple. A cool condom pack landed on his belly. 

"You want to slide in. It would be deeper than my mouth."

Heero hissed, his hand speeding up slightly. 

"Whoa, whoa, there buddy." Duo's hands touched his, pushing them out of the way, stopping him. Mildly annoyed, Heero opened his eyes to watch Duo delicately apply a condom to his cock, following it down with his mouth. 

When Duo came back up again, Heero reached out to touch his cheek. "Thank you."

Duo smiled, "Always safe sex."

"No, I mean--"

"I know." Duo shifted and lay beside Heero. They kissed for a while, Duo stroking and touching Heero while their tongues danced. Heero reached around his lover, feeling for the bottle of lube and with a little help, moved to prepare Duo. He pressed - slowly, lovingly - into Duo. Marvelled as he scissored fingers into the small hole. Duo's snort broke him out of the trance of it. Heero looked up quizzically and Duo simply met his eye. "Not made of glass, pilot. I'm ready."

Heero moved to position himself, pausing only for a moment to savour the sight of just the tip of his cock breaching Duo's body before dragging his eyes upward to meet Duo's. At his nod, Heero pushed forward,drawing on that vaunted control Duo enjoyed to stop himself simply pulling out and slamming back in again. It felt endless, until the sudden moment he couldn't go any further. Heero closed his eyes, pressing his forehead against the leg he was holding up. 

Duo's fingers touched his chin gently. Heero opened his eyes then and looked down. 

Duo's braid spilled over the pillow, violet eyes half open, lips drawn into a fond smile. Heero had to close his eyes against the sight, his body tightening. There was the loving chuckle and he throbbed, clutching Duo's leg even harder. 

"Hey... Heero..." 

Duo's voice was low, a little breathless. Heero opened his eyes again, his control snapping, and he could see that Duo knew. The fond smile turned a little wicked as Duo propped himself up on one elbow and daringly whispered. "Go on then."

"Yes!" Heero crashed into him then, hips driving out and in. 

* * *

Cleaning himself up in the bathroom, Duo couldn't help but smile when he caught sight of himself in the mirror. Well-fucked, that was the look of the man in the reflection. He bit his lip and rolled his shoulders as he walked out of the bathroom, stopping by his own room to pick up clean underwear. Slipping it on, he returned to the bedroom where Heero was just finishing with the sheets. Duo helped to pull the corners and worked on the pillows while Heero changed the duvet cover. They got back into bed together and lay facing each other for a moment. 

Duo raised a hand to touch Heero's face. "Seriously, your first time?"

"With a man? Yes."

"Seriously?"

"I told you, I've done research."

That amused Duo. "You watched so much porn."

Heero rolled his eyes. "Well, yes."

"You and that bent pin."

"Hey, it was there for me."

Duo chuckled, and lovingly stroked Heero's cheek. "I'm glad." 

"Hn." Heero moved. "I'm going to roll over."

"Mind if I spoon ya?"

"Spoon?"

Duo smiled. "You'll know what I mean, you be little spoon."

"What..." Heero shook his head and rolled over. "I'm giving Wufei a lift tomorrow."

"Sure. I'm not due in until late shift." Duo waited a moment for Heero to settle before moulding his body against Heero's. He lay down and tucked his head into Heero's shoulder, resting an arm on Heero's thigh. They were quiet for a long moment before Heero quietly asked. "Was I good enough?"

"Heero, love, they need to erect a statue to you." Duo closed his eyes. "Though, I think we need to do it again. And again. You know, science."

"Oh, science, huh?" Heero's voice was so fond, Duo just buried his face into the middle of his back. 

* * *

_ Love me or hate me _

_ Who are you changing? _

_ And I don't give a fuck, no _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [coughs] I'm no good after a sex scene, so I'm going to let myself out and leave you to it. I hope you enjoyed... there's no way of finishing that without it sounding dirty. I'm sorry. [exit left, out the window] Thank you for joining me! [returns briefly] Oh, and once again we have caught up to my beta reader, so there will be a slight pause on posting! Thank you for your understanding!


	23. Go with the flow

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Duo gets to move back home and ... the boys are back in town.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: hahahahahahaha… I’m so old. You know the score.  
Notes: Relationships are hard work.  
Song: Avril Lavigne - Sippin’ on sunshine
> 
> Extra notes: Normally, I would format this to fit a specific style, but unfortunately the rich text editor isn't working for me, and this is the fourth time I've attempted to post this. Once I figure out why I'll go back and edit it.

_What a beautiful day  
All I need is a taste  
Nothin' but a good time  
Sippin' on sunshine  
_  
Chapter 22: Go with the flow  
  
_No, don't got nowhere to go  
So we'll go with the flow  
Yeah, we're living the life  
Sippin' on sunshine  
Sippin' on sunshine_

It was getting close to the weekend when Duo raised his head tiredly. His phone had pinged and it was the middle of the night. Knowing that he'd set the device to only ring under certain circumstances, he carefully rolled onto his side. Behind him, Heero stirred a little. "What's wrong?"  
Duo read his phone. "Quatre's saying something came up, and can they stay at mine..." Duo blearily started tapping at the screen. "Sure, that's... fine..." He yawned and put the phone back down.  
"What ... time?" Heero muttered as he shuffled closer to Duo, nosing up against his neck.  
"Stupid morning." Duo flopped back down, putting his phone back on the nightstand. He wiggled until Heero grunted irritably. Finding the right spot at last, Duo stilled and let himself drift back to sleep.  
  
***  
  
It was a beautiful day for a weekend, Duo just stood at the doorway to Heero's home and stared out. Since Ames' immediate circle of friends had been cleared, and Cyber Crimes were taking on the further investigation of how Ames had managed to get a message through their security, Duo had been cleared to return to his own home. It felt strange to be leaving Heero's, but it wasn't entirely unwelcome. Their relationship was new, and being thrown together in such circumstances wasn't exactly how they wanted to be. Their physical relationship was progressing in fits and starts; though they enjoyed being together, Heero's inexperience clashed a little with Duo's tendency to yield. It wasn't a deal breaker. Duo smiled just thinking about it; they'd talked it through a lot.  
Heero was just putting on his shoes, on the phone to Trowa and trying to not roll his eyes too hard. "Yes, we're leaving now. Isn’t Wufei meeting you with the keys? He’s got Duo’s-- Yes, yes… we’re just leaving!"  
Duo rocked on his heels and stepped down the stairs lightly. Quatre and Trowa had landed very early that morning - not quite the end of the week Trowa had suggested. Quatre had had significantly more paperwork to sign than he'd thought, and they had taken a week longer than anticipated. This was fine by everyone except Quatre. Their arrival flight had landed quite early; something had gone wrong with their itinerary, and an irritable Trowa had been calling Heero and Duo on and off throughout the morning to arrange their meeting today.  
Heero hung up with a shake of his head. "Not how I thought I'd be spending my Saturday."  
"Thank you for helping me move back in though..." Duo grinned as they got into Heero's car. He pulled his phone out and took a look at the new app he'd had to download. "I'm a bit weirded-out by the new security they've installed at the complex. I hope my neighbours are okay with it."  
"Hn, they should be grateful to get it installed for free." Heero replied as he indicated and pulled out. "Given that Ames turned up at your apartment uninvited, and later attempted to kidnap you... I should imagine the complex management is going to take it seriously."  
"Hmm." Duo flicked through the app. It included things like visitor authorisation for the new manned entrance; the car park which now had automatic registration recognition; and a regular patrol schedule with security guards. When they were almost there, Duo entered the details for Heero's car, booking in a space for him in the visitor car park. He also sent a text to Wufei, realising he’d need to register his car's registration as well; and if he was bringing Hasigawa with him.  
He snorted when Wufei sent back a concise text: his registration and an emoji of a thumbs up, a skull and a dagger.  
Duo chuckled. "Wufei says he's bringing Hasigawa, so I say we have us a little house warming."  
"I'm glad. She should meet Quatre as well."  
"You think he's serious."  
Heero seemed to think about it for a moment. "Tatiana never bothered to learn my name. Hasigawa dropped everything when she realised you were in danger." His smile was faint. "She worked very efficiently."  
"She's always struck me as dependable once you've gotten past the... eccentric aspects of her personality," Duo commented lightly. "I always shied away from her lot ... Loris and that are loud. I just wanted to get on with the job and didn't see the point in antagonising other departments."  
"The interdepartmental competition - unsanctioned - is there to improve morale." Heero snorted. "Mostly I think it's because Royston used to be Federation, Berkins always seemed aligned with the colonies, and Johannes from Forensics was once affiliated with OZ. Noin seems to foster the 'healthier' aspects of the competition in an effort to get what Active Division needs from each of the departments."  
"I had no idea... you mean, the bowling actually helps?"  
That pulled a huff of laughter out of Heero. "The bowling is serious business. It's not there to help."  
"Ha! So when I beat you during the next league..."  
"We do need to talk about you joining the wrong team."  
"Cyber Crimes are my fam."  
"I'm your fam."  
Duo laughed. "You're my lover, but on the bowling lane, there's no love - there's only the pins."  
"Oh, the betrayal," Heero deadpanned. "You talk a big game, but just you wait until Wufei wipes the floor with you."  
"Hah!"  
They made another turn and came up on Duo's apartment complex. There'd been some work on the apartment building and the buildings around it in the weeks when Duo had moved out, and it appeared to be continuing. Heero pulled into the turn-off leading to the underground car park and pulled out his ID for inspection. Duo was bemused as he was checked as well. "Good morning, uh..." He peered at the name badge of the security guard. "Mr Martin."  
"Good morning, Mr Maxwell. Mr Yuy." The security guard smiled. "It's a pleasure to welcome you home, sir. Your parking space has been cleared. Mr Maxwell, can I ask that you move your car to your new allocation as a matter of urgency?"  
"Yeah, I read the note..." Duo nodded. "As soon as we park up."  
"Of course, sir." The guard straightened and pressed a few buttons on his tablet, gesturing them forward as the gate lifted. Heero drove straight in and followed Duo's directions to the visitor car parking space. Heero shut off the car and fiddled for a moment with his keys. Pulling off one key, he held it up to Duo.  
"I know we haven't really talked about this, but..." He held it a little closer. "Please. I want you to come and go as you please, and if you ever need to..."  
Duo plucked the key from Heero's hands, and Heero seemed relieved.  
"You've got a place to go if you need it." Heero finished quietly.  
Duo turned the key in his hand. "When we get upstairs, I'll give you a copy of my key."  
"You don't--"  
Duo jerked his head up. "But I want to."  
Heero smiled, almost shy. "I was hoping you would."  
Duo leaned over, pressing a kiss against Heero's lips. There was an ill-concealed squeal from outside the car. The two jerked apart and looked out of the driver's side, where Relena Peacecraft had her hands clapped over her mouth, her bright blue eyes shining with glee.  
"Oh no." Heero closed his eyes briefly and moved to start the car. "Pretend we're not in!"  
"Hey!" Relena smacked the glass and folded her arms.  
Duo laughed as they got out of the car and Relena ran around the side to give him a hug. Holding her back, Duo chuckled. "Relena, it's so good to see you! But what are you doing here?"  
"Dorothy bought an apartment here; she wanted somewhere nice and away from central..." Relena squeezed him hard. "I'm just overjoyed, overjoyed! To see you both so very happy!" She pulled back and tossed in Heero's direction. "And exchanging keys!"  
Heero didn't acknowledge her comment, folding his arms and leaning against the car. "So Dorothy bought an apartment here in the city? For you both to share?"  
"Well." Relena glanced at Duo, a light blush stealing across her fair cheeks. "Yes. We thought it would make it easier to visit people, and..." She shook her head, stepping back. "I brought doughnuts for the new security staff. Being who we are, we're part of the reason there was this rapid rebuild of the security features of this building."  
Duo blinked, "Oh, I thought it was..."  
When Relena only tilted her head in confusion, Duo waved his hand. “Never mind. So Dorothy put this all in place so quickly?”  
Relena linked her arm with Duo and smiled. “Well, apparently the sale was in progress for the apartment, and the security was planned. There was a small delay in handing over the apartment, and Dorothy took the opportunity to close the sale. With my presence, the security plans had to be stepped up considerably.” Relena rolled her eyes. “You get kidnapped, once or twice…”  
“Or three or four or five times…” Heero groused as he linked his arm with her on the other side. He looked at her dourly. “Is this another castle, princess?”  
Relena snorted inelegantly. “You know that makes you Mario in this scenario.” She unlinked one of her arms to wave at the guards in the security office. Duo took the opportunity to step back.  
"I'll catch up, I'm gonna go move my car."  
Relena watched him move before slowly tilting her head towards Heero. Heero stared at Duo's retreating back, his eyes narrowing. "Not one word."  
She almost exploded with her bright smile. "But-"  
"No."  
"You're --"  
"I'm not getting into it."  
"It was so--"  
"Relena." Heero growled ineffectually.  
She shook her head, fine blond hair swishing in her ponytail. "When are you moving in together?"  
"We're not."  
"Heero!" she wheedled. "Come on, you're so... he's going to be...!" She raised a fist and shook it. "It's going to be amazing!"  
Relena's infectious optimism never failed to raise a small smile from him and he patted her arm. "It's good to see you. Why didn't you let me know you were coming to earth? I would have arranged to meet up."  
"Oh, I didn't know until yesterday afternoon; we've literally dashed here." Relena leaned in to whisper. "You know how Dorothy sometimes gets a little competitive with Quatre? She heard he was planning on buying an apartment near here, well... that was it. She just had to get here first."  
Heero raised an eyebrow. "Really?"  
"Really. Thankfully, it fit in with my schedule. I'm due to do a tour of Preventer Headquarters next week." Relena shook her head. "I suppose it's just as well, Duo seems a little... less like himself."  
"Less?"  
With a small shift of her shoulders, Relena looked at him directly. "He's just... quieter than I remember."  
"Hn." Heero nodded, casting his attention back out on the car park. Duo had finished moving his car, and was walking back to them. "He's been through a lot."  
"Yes, I'm aware." Relena squeezed his arm. "Just be there for him. You're a rock." She paused. "But take care of yourself as well. Don't break yourself trying to save him."  
Heero smiled faintly. "Thank you."  
As Duo joined them, they turned to make their way up to Duo's apartment first. As the lift doors opened, they were surprised to find Trowa standing just outside Duo's apartment, massaging his temples amongst a stack of boxes.  
"Uh, hi." Duo waved at him as they approached. He looked down at the boxes. "What...? I thought, like, your hotel room had fallen through..."  
Trowa gave a long suffering sigh and raised an eyebrow at Relena. "Did Dorothy tell you which apartment she swooped in on?"  
"Um. No." Relena blinked, and then slowly raised a hand to her brow. "Please don't tell me it was Quatre's."  
Trowa gave her a tight smile and crouched to secure a box in his arms. "So, Duo, we're going to be living here for a while. You know how you invited us to stay any time?" He straightened and walked into the apartment. Shucking off their shoes in the corridor, Duo grabbed a box, as did Heero and Relena. Trowa carried the box over to a new pile within the room. "Wufei dropped off the keys; he's gone to get some groceries and Hasigawa."  
"Cool." Duo nodded. "Where's Quatre?"  
Trowa paused and tilted his head expectantly. As they waited quietly, tightly restrained voices became clearer from behind the spare room's closed door.  
"Having the richest rich person argument I have ever heard in your spare bedroom with Dorothy Catalonia." Trowa replied, his expression very bored as he put the box down by the room in question. "Of course, they can't argue in the penthouse."  
"Of course." Duo put the box down and clapped a hand on Trowa's shoulder. "I'm sorry."  
Trowa stared at the ceiling for a moment. "You are remarkably tolerant of the fact we're basically moving in for an unknown period of time."  
Laughing, Duo walked back to the corridor. "I'm not gonna toss you out on your ear."  
Trowa dipped his head in thanks and turned to Relena. "They've been at it for an hour now. Maybe you could...?"  
"An hour?" Relena raised her eyebrows, surprised. She made a show of rolling up her sleeves. "Yes, quite enough time for them to have gotten past the legal threats and descend into personal insults." She walked up to the door and placed a hand on it, leaning in to listen for a moment before turning to look at the three Gundam pilots. "I can't stress this enough, no matter what you hear. Do not come in."  
And with that, Relena opened the door and ducked inside, closing it firmly behind her. Heero looked at Trowa. "Long flight?"  
"You have no idea." Trowa threw his hands in the air as he walked towards the corridor. "I'm not entirely certain how Dorothy pulled this off, but it has been a tense few hours.” He paused by the door and jerked a thumb at the painting on the wall. "Also, Duo, what is this?"  
Duo shrugged. "Ames didn't like my taste in art. I got something--"  
Trowa held up his hand, shaking his head and walking away. Duo looked at the painting. Much like many decorative items around the apartment, Ames' criticism had influenced his choices. Looking around, Duo was disappointed by how many things he could see - just not quite to his taste, each one coming with a whisper of approval from Ames. Trowa walked past with a box. With Quatre and Trowa moving in for an indeterminate amount of time, it was going to be a good chance to get rid of those things. Heero shook his head as he walked through to the kitchen to put the kettle on. Duo walked towards the hallway and was about to grab another box when the lift dinged.  
Carrying a bag of groceries, Hasigawa stepped out of the lift and smiled faintly as she approached him. "Hi, Maxwell."  
"Hey." Duo straightened and waved. "It's been a while!" Hasigawa had been a part of the investigation into how Ames had breached the network, and had been in and out of the office for the past week. Duo was glad to see her; it was a good chance for him to say ‘thank you’. "Where's Wufei?"  
Rolling her eyes, Hasigawa jerked a thumb over her shoulder. "He wasn't satisfied with the security guard checking our IDs. He's giving the ones on duty a quick lecture and hooking them up with the Preventer security forces for further training."  
Duo nodded. "That sounds about right for him." He smiled. "I’ve been meaning to say… thank you for reacting as quickly as you did."  
Heero appeared at the doorway and took the bag of groceries from her. "Hi Hasigawa, I've put the kettle on; do you want a hot drink?"  
"Um, sure." Hasigawa watched him walk away and then turned to Duo, a nervous look passing over her face. "Uh... look, I... I wasn't paying attention when you left. I should have..."  
"What, known somehow that the internal mail system had been hacked?" Duo shook his head. "Nope, I already went through the scenarios with Heero. You saved my actual life."  
She ducked her head. "I still need to say sorry, it's been playing on my mind."  
"If you want to make it up to me..." Duo tapped her shoulder. "Name Wufei's first kid after me."  
That startled a laugh out of her. "Well, you're going to have to pick something else. Wufei really doesn't want kids with someone like me!"  
  
***  
  
The smile on Duo’s face froze as he stared at her. Riko blinked, her own laughter fading as she noticed the other two pilots behind him. Heero had stopped as if someone had pressed pause. Beyond him, Trowa had halted and turned back, his expression as blank as Heero’s.  
Riko looked back to Duo and almost took a step away as she realised his expression was rapidly turning to utter frustration.  
The guest bedroom door opened and a blonde man in a suit stepped out, his eyes wide with shocked anger. This was presumably Quatre Winner. Riko swallowed and then definitely took a half step back. The silence from the four men was deafening.  
Down the corridor, she heard a lift door ding.  
Riko looked down the corridor and saw Wufei step out, his attention on his phone. He walked towards her, and she desperately hoped he would look up before he got here.  
By a stroke of luck, he did just as he passed the neighbour’s door. Dropping her hand to her side, she made a desperate gesture.  
Wufei glanced at her hand, then looked behind her. Frowning, he shook his head and continued walking. He paused at her side. “Nice try, but there’s nobody standing behind you. What are you trying to say?”  
“Oh my god, Wufei.” Riko sighed heavily and then raised her hand to gesture into Duo’s apartment. “What the fuck?”

  


_Boy, you blow my mind  
You got me up on cloud nine  
Just a little taste  
I wouldn't wanna waste  
A sip of that sunshine_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again, I hope this finds you well and safe, that you're taking care of yourself. Thank you so much for joining me here. I've been genuinely enjoying my rest, even though I haven't been writing very much. However, I take to heart the Oatmeal comic on Creativity and understand I can't exhale forever.


	24. Let's start a fight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The boys have a fight, Relena goes for coffee instead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: hahahahahahaha… I’m so old. You know the score. 
> 
> Notes: Relationships are hard work.
> 
> Song: Jucee Froot - Danger (Birds of Prey Album)

_ I'm about to have a beastie _

_ I just wan' fuck up and go crazy _

_ Machete, .9s and extended clips _

_ Let's start a fire with this cigarette _

#  Chapter 23: Let’s start a fight

_ I'm crazy, bitch _

_ But I'm that bitch _

_ I do not kiss no ass, but I ass kick _

_ Startin' to ride, my bitches don't ride _

* * *

It was rare for Quatre to demonstrate his rather special abilities, but when he broke off a particularly effective argument to turn his attention to the door, Relena was quick to stop Dorothy from trying to jump in. Dorothy only briefly protested as Quatre narrowed his eyes and walked towards the door. Sharing a look, Relena and Dorothy followed him. Relena took in the scene. Trowa was staring at the entrance, as was Heero. Heero slowly put down the bag of groceries he'd been carrying, using his foot to push it up against the wall. Relena looked towards the door. Duo stood there, facing a woman Relena didn't recognise. 

Trowa tossed Quatre a glance and made several short motions with his hands. Relena didn't quite catch the full meaning. She'd lived with Heero long enough to recognise that something was communicated, and that Wufei was involved. Relena looked around them all. She didn't need Quatre's new-type biology to know that the emotional temperature in the room was rapidly dropping. 

Leaning against the bedroom’s door frame, Dorothy folded her elegant arms and snorted. "Oh, this should be good."

Chang Wufei peered past the woman in the entrance, glancing at the other pilots before returning his attention to her with a tired look. "Woman, what did you say?"

"I..." She took a step back towards him. "I didn't... I just said I was sorry."

Relena held up a hand. "Hi!" She waved politely, delicately stepping past the glaring Gundam Pilots as if they were rigged to explode. "I'm Relena Peacecraft, it's a pleasure to meet you..."

"Riko. Riko Hasigawa." The woman blinked, her eyes wide. "What's going on?"

"Right before they--" Relena gestured to the pilots. "Started doing this whole silent thing... you would have said something. Sorry wasn’t the trigger." She tilted her head, smiling warmly. "Do you remember what it was?"

Riko blinked. "I said that Duo had to pick a different favour... Wufei doesn't want kids with me."

That drew a reaction from Duo who snarled at Wufei. "We talked about how you treat women! If you’ve let her feel like this all this time--"

"Ah." Relena interrupted. She looked up, trying to figure out how to say the next thing in a sensitive manner. "And you know this from an actual conversation with Wufei or--"

Dorothy cut in, beaming. "Or... because of your crushingly low self-esteem, you cannot possibly envisage Chang Wufei - one of the heroes of Earth and the Colonies, the fifth Gundam pilot - wanting to debase himself by having children with you?" She raised a hand to curl her fingers in a wave. “Dorothy Catalonia. Pleasure. Very rarely does someone provoke such a reaction. This is very entertaining, thank you!”

Relena pressed her hands together and looked up as if praying. "Not helpful, but yes. Have you  _ inferred _ that Wufei may not want children with you?"

"Uh..." Riko glanced at Dorothy and then nodded slightly. "That second one." She saw Wufei make a quick gesture. It seemed to provoke a round of gestures from the others and the snarl on Duo's face darkening. "What is going on?"

Relena took a few more mincing steps forward, stepping around Duo carefully. She gently grasped Riko by the elbows. "This is a Gundam argument in its early stages. Stage one: Silence before the storm."

Riko blinked at her owlishly.

Relena smiled kindly. "Let's go get some coffee, hmm? Leave them to it." She inclined her head slightly. “Come on, dear, let’s go save the civilian.”

“Oh, I’m going to stay,” Dorothy crowed, her smile wide. “It’s been so long. And that coffee table is so ugly…!”

Relena didn’t even look behind her. “Not a suggestion, Dorothy.” 

Dorothy sauntered past Quatre, snidely smirking. "Have fun, darling. We'll pick up our tête-à-tête later." 

Quatre did not respond, but Wufei held up a finger. He broke his glare with Duo to turn his intense concentration on Riko. "Woman. We will talk later." He sighed sharply, raising a hand to touch her cheek. 

Riko straightened her shoulders and nodded. Relena walked out into the corridor, Dorothy following her. She paused and folded her arms, a spark of cautious anger in her. "You know, I don't want children either. He's allowed to not want children."

Relena quickly looped her arm around Riko's shoulders and pulled. "Not the problem here."

She dragged the poor woman down the corridor, glancing over her shoulder. Dorothy followed after her and Wufei watched them until they were in the lift down the corridor. Just as the doors closed, the three saw him shake his head sharply, loosen his tie and storm into the apartment. The door slammed just as the lift doors came together. 

Dorothy chuckled. "The problem is not going to be anything about children."

Riko looked between them, horror in her face. "What's going on?"

Leaning back against the wall and elegantly pressing the ground floor button, Dorothy took a moment to inspect her nails. "Oh, I should imagine some ire regarding the fact that Wufei left you feeling so bloody unloved that you have naturally assumed - regardless of your disposition to the concept of children - that he is treating you only as some kind of short term fling." She looked up from her nails, a sharp smile on her face. "There's a reason Wufei's former beau has never met all of the other pilots. They like you." She held out her hand. "You must be special for Wufei to break out of the stage one glaring to reassure you… hmm, it must be love."

Riko blinked and then looked at Relena. "Should we be leaving?"

"Oh yes." Relena smiled charmingly. "They'll be solidly into stage two by now."

"Stage two?" 

"It usually involves a healthy amount of furniture destruction and..." She paused briefly, her gaze going distant. “... violence.” The lift came to a stop and the doors dinged as they opened. The sound seemed to bring the former Queen of the World back from her thoughts. Relena shook her head and smiled at Riko; then strode out of the lift, her head held high. "Come on, now's a brilliant time for us to get to know each other!"

* * *

"So, you work in the Cyber Crimes division with Duo?" Relena set the tray of drinks and pastries down gracefully. 

"Uh, yes." Riko blinked at this question. "How do you know?"

"Oh darling," Dorothy interjected playfully. "You've been the hot topic of the group chat for a number of weeks. Wufei doesn't start dating just any plain jane." 

"Dorothy!" Relena hissed. "Please don't worry. Yes, you've come up in the group chat. Sally is remarkably perceptive and my brother is… terrible with secrets. Never tell him anything personal."

Riko looked between them. "Which group chat? Does this one involve Wufei?"

"God no." Dorothy picked up her danish and broke it in half. "The group chat without the pilots. Christ, if the boys knew what we got up in that chat..." She chuckled warmly and leant in. "You're one of us now. You're definitely not allowed to speak of the Group Chat that doesn't include the pilots."

Riko sipped her coffee. "Wufei said that the family was weird. He neglected to mention that there were clans."

"Yes, well. Anyway." Relena waved her hands. "I thought it might be nice for you to get to know us a bit better. Wufei is so secretive about his romantic partners; he very rarely lets anyone meet them!"

Riko tried to stifle a snort as Dorothy rolled her eyes dramatically and patted the back of Relena's hand. "Darling, you make Wufei out to sound like a whore... or a serial killer." 

"I do not!" 

"Yes, you do." Dorothy pushed a small piece of her danish into Relena's mouth. "Anyway, we have more important things to discuss - like..." Here, she turned her sharp attention on Riko. "How is he in bed? He's fantastic, isn't he?" She leaned forward, resting her chin on a hand. "I always imagined he'd be rapacious."

Mortified, Riko was somewhat mollified by Relena's blush, which went all the way up to the tips of her pale ears. Riko took a sip of her coffee and then shook her head. "I'm not going to talk about our sex life."

"Ooh." Dorothy cooed approvingly. "Points scored." She tilted her head to Relena. "She isn't a gossip, but she is having sex with number Five."

"Dorothy!" Relena clapped her hands over her face and shook her head. She took a very deep cleansing breath and lowered her hands. "I'm so sorry about her."

"Oh no, don't apologise for me!" Dorothy said tartly. "If she can't handle me, she will crumble under Sally."

"I've met Doctor Po." Riko looked confused. "She didn't seem that bad."

"You've met her in a professional capacity, yes... but have you met her in full Mother Hen mode? No." Dorothy reached over and patted the back of her hand condescendingly. "You've not even encountered the full might of the Gundam Pilots in nesting mode."

"Nesting..."

"Please ignore her." Relena unsubtly kicked Dorothy under the table. "She's just trying to scare you. The boys are lovely, if protective. Let me tell you, if you ever get kidnapped, they're the men you want searching for you. However, they really are a bunch of brothers and... I suppose, as you've just seen... they can argue like it's a war." She glanced at Dorothy and straightened her shoulders. "We're all very close; we went through a lot together... It's a little strange to have someone new added to the mix."

Sitting back slightly, Riko cradled her coffee. "So, yes. I do work with Duo. At least - we've been in the same department, but have rarely collaborated on a project. In fact, I worked more with Wufei than I did with Duo." She glanced down. "I knew that Tatiana wasn't the best kind of person for Wufei. He always seemed..." Riko looked away for a moment. "Contained… with her." She frowned, thoughtfully stabbing her pastry for a moment. "Like a sad tiger at the zoo. Like... you know that tiger has been beaten down, and now it just looks forward to its next meal..."

Dorothy arched an eyebrow. "Gave it some thought before you jumped in, huh?"

Riko blinked at her, surprised. "Actually, no. It didn't occur to me to start going out with him until I asked him out." She half shrugged. "He just looked like he deserved..."

"A decent meal?" Dorothy smiled, leaning in. "And when you gave it to him, was he ravenous?"

Riko stared at Dorothy for a very long moment. She looked down at her plate, seeming to think about something, and then nodded as she came to her decision. "Miss Catalonia. I know full well you’re someone with the political savvy to change the world; largely tipped to become quite a big hitter in the presidential league of ... “ She faltered. “... Of things. I’m guessing that you are undoubtedly sleeping with a woman who was previously titled Queen of the World... and I know you can and probably will squish me like the insignificant Preventer agent I am." Riko held up the cake fork. "However, I will stab you with the cake fork before I will tell you anything about my sex life. I won't dishonour my relationship with Wufei. Stop asking."

Dorothy blinked and sat back, her pretty mouth falling open with shock. 

Relena, on the other hand, looked between them before whipping out her phone and rapidly dialing someone. Riko held her nerve, slowly cut a piece of her pastry and chewed it slowly as she maintained eye contact with Dorothy. 

Relena couldn't hide her glee. "Noin, are you busy? No, carry on. No, we're fine. No, no. You don't understand. I fucking love her. Yes, Wufei’s girlfriend!" 

Both Dorothy and Riko slowly looked at the blonde woman as if she'd grown horns. Relena laughed. "No, tell my brother to be on his best behaviour when he meets Wufei's girlfriend..." She paused, looking up. "No, better. Tell him to be on his  _ very _ best behaviour! She's armed with a cake fork and she's not afraid to use it!!"

* * *

Relena linked her arm through Riko's, somewhat enjoying the slight surprise on the woman's face. Dorothy looked on with bemusement as she raised her keys to lock the car. They walked through the parking complex towards the lift. As they walked past the newly constructed security office, the garbage room door opened and Quatre stepped out. 

His normally well-kept appearance was spoiled by his ruffled hair, torn shirt collar and the spectacular black eye he was sporting. He smiled pleasantly at the three women. "You're back!" He held his hand out to Riko. "I didn't have the chance to properly introduce myself earlier, Quatre Winner."

"Riko Hasigawa." Riko shook his hand. "Um... are you okay?"

Quatre blinked, confused. "Yes, of course. What's wrong?"

Riko silently gestured her eyes. 

"Oh, this?" Quatre winced as he touched his own black eye. "This will be fine once I've iced it properly. But we had to tidy the apartment before any of us could rest up." He smiled charmingly. "You're just back in time." His smile turned a shade less charming as he turned his attention to Dorothy. "Like always, when the hard work is done."

Dorothy waved a dismissive hand. "Look, we both know you only tried to buy this penthouse suite because you want to -" here she raised her hands and sarcastically made quotation marks in the air "- 'protect' Duo, when we both know your TOO MUCH genes would kick in and you'd smoother the poor boy." She walked off towards the lift. "Whereas I can install as much security and protection without making the poor man feel like a complete invalid who can't protect himself from the scary ex-boyfriend." She pointed at herself. "I'm not invested in protecting him. I'm protecting Relena."

They all stood in the lift as the doors shut and Quatre grumpily pressed the button. "Fine."

"So... by protecting Miss Peacecraft..." Riko started thoughtfully. "You could say you're also protecting the interests of Miss Peacecraft, which I can imagine would include protecting the interests of her ex-fiance, one Agent Heero Yuy... who has very recently begun to develop clear feelings for Duo Maxwell..." 

As Quatre and Dorothy slowly turned to look at the woman, Relena raised a hand to politely hide her smirk. Dorothy's full red lips quirked into a smile. "She's not stupid, at least."

"Hmm." Quatre raised a golden eyebrow. "Indeed." He tilted his head. "Perhaps you can keep that line of thinking to yourself, Miss Hasigawa. Duo is most ridiculous when he thinks people are trying to take care of him."

Riko glanced at Relena, who only nodded. Relena gave her an exaggerated wink. Utterly confused, Riko looked back at Dorothy then at Quatre and then slowly dropped her gaze. "What the fuck...?" 

Dorothy reached out to grasp Riko by the chin and forced her to look up again. "Basically: keep up the pretence that Quatre and I are having a fight over the penthouse, so that Duo never suspects that the enhanced security and protections he will naturally benefit from, by having the vice-foreign minister's girlfriend moving in upstairs, are all in fact actually in place because the world's richest, most soft-hearted Gundam Pilot --"

"Hey!" Objected Quatre.

"-- is unable to stand the idea of being powerless and so engaged the services of his absolutely favourite sister --"

"You're not my sister." Quatre rolled his eyes to stare at the ceiling. "Stop telling people we're related."

"-- who swooped in to save the day like she always does --"

"You stabbed me. Can we not forget that fact please?"

"-- and carried out his insane plan, thus saving his brother from feeling like he'd been placed in a maximum security prison--"

Here, Relena held up a finger. "It's not a prison, it's the minimum expected level of security that doesn't set Heero off."

"--and therefore it's going to be a lot easier for all parties involved--" Dorothy smiled sharply. "If you… Well. Let's just say, you have a cake fork, but mess this up and let something slip - and I really do include Chang Wufei in this equation - and I will indeed squish you like the insignificant Preventer insect you are." 

Riko took a half step back, edging slightly behind Relena, who patted her hand reassuringly. "Shh, shh, shhh… I'm sure it won't come to it."

The lift doors dinged and Dorothy folded her arms. "How long do you want to keep in the arguing phase?"

"I forgot how easily you got bored." Quatre gestured for her to go first. "I suppose it's quite hard to keep up with me."

"Darling, we both know there's a way we can settle this."

"Yes, but let's not entirely frighten the living daylights out of Miss Hasigawa. I'm sure you've put her through enough."

Leaning into Relena slightly, Riko whispered, "Is it always like this?"

"Oh, yes. Ever since they met at the Sanc Castle, they've always enjoyed sparring - both verbally and physically." Relena smiled warmly. "Let's go see how much of Duo's apartment has survived."

Riko raised her eyebrows at Relena's pronouncement. They all walked along the hallway, Quatre and Dorothy carrying on with their quiet argument. Relena let go of Riko once they were in the apartment, and wandered over to the kitchen area where she wrapped her arms around Heero's waist to nose over his shoulder. "What are you cooking?"

As Quatre and Dorothy both picked up yet another box of things to bring in from the corridor, Trowa walked out of the spare room and gestured where they could place them. He smiled as best he could with a split lip, taking a moment to drop a kiss on Quatre's temple. 

Riko blinked and cautiously closed the front door. She glanced around the apartment. There had been an ugly painting on the wall here in the entrance; it was gone now. A number of the decorations that had dotted the room had disappeared. Riko slipped off her shoes and walked into the apartment properly. It looked newer without the clutter of ornaments and the glass-topped coffee table. Riko peered into the spare room, in which Quatre and Trowa seemed to be unpacking their things while Dorothy scrolled away on her phone, lying in the middle of the bed. 

She moved back into the living room. Relena was perched at the breakfast bar, talking animatedly to Heero about her latest trip. Heero smiled as she talked, clearly enjoying what she was saying as he cooked. He gave Riko a nod and then gestured to the balcony behind her. Riko blinked and turned, moving towards the small outdoor space. Wufei and Duo sat, facing each other, eyes closed and their hands clasped loosely in their laps. They seemed to be meditating. Riko watched them for a few moments before backing away slowly and finding a space on the couch. She drew her legs up and sat curled in the corner. 

Quatre appeared and perched on the end of the sofa, smiling gently. "Are you alright?"

"How bad was the fight? Are they okay?" Riko asked, her voice quiet as if she was afraid of disturbing them. 

"Fight? Oh, earlier." Quatre blinked as if confused for a moment. "Yes. We engaged in a heated discussion."

"You broke the coffee table."

"Hmm." Quatre looked at the space where the erstwhile coffee table had been. "Yes. Ames chose it." 

Riko frowned slightly and looked around properly. It was true there were plenty of other delicate knick-knacks which should have been broken in a fight while some studier, more out-of-the-way items had somehow disappeared. She looked at Quatre again. "You guys really do operate on multiple levels, don't you?"

Quatre's smile widened. "Wufei must enjoy sparring with you, Miss Hasigawa." 

She rolled her eyes slightly at the formality. "You can call me Riko."

"Do you object to your surname?"

"No, just... it's weird having other people call me Hasigawa."

Quatre chuckled lightly. "Very well, Miss Riko."

"Stop teasing her," Wufei muttered as he walked in from the balcony. He reached out, cupping a hand around her head and dipping to drop a kiss on her forehead. "Did you enjoy coffee?"

"Yeah, your... family are weird..." She rolled her shoulders, looking beyond him to see Duo, stretching. "Are you both... okay?"

Duo yawned. "Yeah, sure, why?"

Riko looked from him, to Quatre and then to Wufei. "Like you were going to kill each other only an hour ago because Wufei doesn't want kids with me."

"No." Duo elegantly folded himself to sit cross-legged on the floor. "I was going to kick his ass because he’d let you think you were some meaningless fling." He pointed at her. "You deserve better."

"But I don't want kids. He wants to settle down with some awesome chick who does want kids..." Riko spread her hands in confusion. "It's okay if he doesn't want kids with me."

Wufei perched on the sofa nearest her and leaned in. "The 'with you' part is the problem. Not the kids."

She looked up at him, sincerely confused. "You want to get settled and married, right? Have a family? I'm..." She frowned. "I'm not really..."

Riko was struck by the mildly disappointed look that Wufei had in his eyes. He raised a hand to brush a lock of her fringe out of the way. Out of the corner of her eye, Riko saw Duo stare at Wufei pointedly, before rising and padding silently away with Quatre. Wufei sighed and shifted to kneel by Riko. He folded both of her hands into his and looked up at her earnestly. "We agreed to try this on for size."

"Yes."

"Have you decided so firmly that we do not fit?"

Riko blinked. "Uh, no..."

"Then stop presuming so much, woman." Wufei's lips quirked into a slight smile. "Else my brothers really will kick my ass." He squeezed her hands. "You may not wish to have children. I respect that. I do - one day - hope to have children, but I want to have them with the right person. You may think that person is not you. I think that if it is a choice between having you or having children..." He glanced down as if gathering courage before raising his head again, nodding. "I think I would rather have you." He squeezed her hands again. "I'm sorry if I have not made that abundantly clear." He leaned down to press his lips against her hand. 

"Please tell me you're not going to propose."

Wufei flicked his eyes up at her, annoyance in his expression. "Seriously."

"So am I." Riko smirked. "Look, your weird fam have some weird ideas, but it's okay." She rolled a shoulder. "So, basically, they think you've made me feel like a fling? They do know that's okay, right. It's okay if we don't work out." She huffed and shifted so she could press her forehead against his. "But I get what you're saying. I don't want them to kick your ass. That’s my hobby. I'll stop claiming you don't want kids with me."

" _ We _ don't want children." He said. "And that's absolutely fine."

Riko pulled back a bit. "You want children."

"Maybe." His dark eyes were knowing. "Right now, that means a choice between you and these hypothetical children. I choose you."

She stared at him for a long moment. "I'll try not to let my crushingly low self-esteem get your ass handed to you by your clearly terrifying family. My family will just feed you until you explode." 

He chuckled quietly. "Indeed." Wufei sat back on his heels and stood in one fluid motion, holding his hand out to Riko. "Now, why don't we go to the balcony to watch ships and escape Relena."

"Escape...?" Riko held his hand and stood up from the sofa. She looked over to the kitchen area and was surprised to see Heero and Relena had disappeared. “Where did everyone go?”

Wufei looked at her kindly, almost with a little pity. He rolled his eyes as he looked up. “Marco.”

“Polo!” Duo’s voice called back.

Following the sound, Riko could see the door to the spare room was cracked open a little. "Are they … all  _ crammed _ in the spare room?"

"Yes."

"Like, to give us some privacy."

"Yes."

"Oh my god." Riko looked vaguely mortified. “That’s the vice foreign minister, the former Queen of the World... in there.”

"Exactly." He laughed. "Now, shall we go to the balcony?"

"Yes, please." 

Wufei made a face and cleared his throat. “And perhaps it’s time to tell you about the group chat…”

* * *

_ We gettin' loud like it's tryna fight _

_ Break up a jaw, crack up a spine _

_ Spendin' buckshots like I'm hittin' from behind _

_ I want the war with them hoes _

_ Walk up right on 'em but hit you with scope _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahhhhh... yes, it's been a while and I'm am so, so grateful for the time to rest. I'm slowly adjusting to being back at work and finding a new routine. I haven't written a thing for ages and today randomly found the energy to finish working on this chapter (again, I've written the whole story now and it's a case of edits and beta - don't worry, I'm not going to abandon it!)
> 
> Thank you ever so much if you joined me today. I just want to let you know I'm so happy you're here. Stay safe!


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